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
151
1510: How to Disappear Revisited
50 min
152
1509: The One Who Got Away - Revisited
47 min
153
1508: The Christmas Con
37 min
154
The Stalker - It Will Never End part 18
20 min
155
1506: The Maury Povich Olive Lady
32 min
156
1504: The Red Collar Killer part 2
22 min
157
1503: The Red Collar Killer part 1
27 min
158
The Stalker - Is this the end?
6 min
159
The Stalker - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt part 17
32 min
160
PREVIEW: The Stalker Settlement Conference
0 min
161
The Lie Detector Revisited
91 min
162
The Babalawo Revisited
43 min
163
1413: The Haunted Tourist
56 min
164
1412: The Puppet Master
35 min
165
1411: The Lost and Found part 2 (Rudy Farias)
38 min
166
1410: The Lost and Found part 1 (Rudy Farias)
22 min
167
1409: The Shit Show (plus Stalker update)
27 min
168
1408: The Digital Pickpocket part 2
30 min
169
1407: The Digital Pickpocket part 1
24 min
170
1405: The Pests part 5
7 min
171
Criminal Conduct Season 4 - Getting Away with M...
27 min
172
1404: The Pests part 4
50 min
173
1403: The Pests part 3
31 min
174
1402: The Pests part 2
28 min
175
1401: The Pests part 1 (Gang stalking)
30 min