PRETEND

PRETEND is an investigative true crime podcast about real people who lie for a living — con artists, scammers, and the victims caught in their web.

Hosted by journalist Javier Leiva, PRETEND exposes the human psychology behind deception and fraud. Each episode follows a real case of manipulation — from financial scams and Ponzi schemes to digital hoaxes and emotional cons


PRETEND explains how and why deception works without shaming victims, combining ethical journalism with cinematic storytelling.


Featured in lists of the best podcasts about con artists and scams, PRETEND investigates crimes of persuasion, trust, and betrayal. New episodes drop regularly with stories that reveal how manipulation shapes modern life, both online and off.


PRETEND is produced by Creative Babble, LLC.


© 2026 Creative Babble LLC


[CLAIM:B6BT3XC4]

True Crime
Technology
Society & Culture
126
The Treasure Hunter Revisited
37 min
127
How to find people who don’t want to be found
30 min
128
1609: The Truth Experts part 2
53 min
129
1608: The Truth Experts part 1
41 min
130
1607: The Fake Lawyer
32 min
131
1606: The Grave Detector (Junk Science Bonus)
20 min
132
1605: The Stalker - Case Closed
7 min
133
1604: The Grave Detector part 3
35 min
134
1603: The Grave Detector part 2
31 min
135
1602: The Grave Detector part 1
35 min
136
1601: The High School Hoax (Shelby Hewitt)
19 min
137
1510: How to Disappear Revisited
50 min
138
1509: The One Who Got Away - Revisited
47 min
139
1508: The Christmas Con
37 min
140
1507 - The Stalker - It Will Never End (part 18)
20 min
141
1506: The Maury Povich Olive Lady
32 min
142
1504: The Red Collar Killer part 2
22 min
143
1503: The Red Collar Killer part 1
27 min
144
The Stalker - Is this the end?
6 min
145
1502: The Stalker - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (...
32 min
146
PREVIEW: The Stalker Settlement Conference
0 min
147
The Lie Detector Revisited
91 min
148
The Babalawo Revisited
43 min
149
1413: The Haunted Tourist
56 min
150
1412: The Puppet Master
35 min