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


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True Crime
Technology
Society & Culture
126
The Stalker - Is this the end?
6 min
127
1502: The Stalker - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (...
32 min
128
PREVIEW: The Stalker Settlement Conference
0 min
129
The Lie Detector Revisited
91 min
130
The Babalawo Revisited
43 min
131
1413: The Haunted Tourist
56 min
132
1412: The Puppet Master
35 min
133
1411: The Lost and Found part 2 (Rudy Farias)
38 min
134
1410: The Lost and Found part 1 (Rudy Farias)
22 min
135
1409: The Shit Show (plus Stalker update)
27 min
136
1408: The Digital Pickpocket part 2
30 min
137
1407: The Digital Pickpocket part 1
24 min
138
1405: The Pests part 5
7 min
139
Criminal Conduct Season 4 - Getting Away with M...
27 min
140
1404: The Pests part 4
50 min
141
1403: The Pests part 3
31 min
142
1402: The Pests part 2
28 min
143
1401: The Pests part 1 (Gang stalking)
30 min
144
1311: The Stalker - Interview with the Doctor (...
29 min
145
1310: Love and Taxes (plus Stalker update)
39 min
146
1309: The Pale-Faced Lie part 2
16 min
147
1308: The Pale-Faced Lie part 1
26 min
148
1307: The Stalker - Fly on the Wall (part 15)
58 min
149
George Santos & The Harbor City Capital Ponzi S...
The Ponzi Playbook - New podcast from Javier Leiva and Neal McTighe
40 min
150
1305: The Stalker - In Time You'll Get the Trut...
17 min