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.


© 2025 Creative Babble LLC


[CLAIM:B6BT3XC4]

True Crime
Technology
Society & Culture
151
S1206: The Stalker part 6
20 min
152
S1205: The Stalker part 5
27 min
153
S1204: The Stalker part 4
20 min
154
S1203: The Stalker part 3
25 min
155
S1202: The Stalker part 2
20 min
156
S1201: The Stalker part 1
27 min
157
S509: The Santa Claus Man Revisited
42 min
158
S505: The Prank Revisited (featured on Netflix ...
75 min
159
S401: The One Who Got Away Revisited
47 min
160
S101: The Prophet Revisited - Word of Faith Fe...
56 min
161
S806: The Real Vampires Revisited
37 min
162
S1108: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 8 (fin...
Frank Abagnale was honored with a Heroes in Ethics award at Xavier University. An ethics award for a conman!
60 min
163
S1107: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 7
57 min
164
S1106: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 6
it turns out that America's favorite con man is really just another petty criminal who's never really repaid all the money he stole
52 min
165
S1105: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 5
Confrontation with Frank Abagnale
61 min
166
S1104: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 4
If he wasn't posing as a doctor, a lawyer, or a professor, then what the heck was Frank Abagnale up to?
49 min
167
S1103: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 3
Two reporters destroy Frank Abagnale's story. Yet nobody cared.
41 min
168
S1102: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 2
56 min
169
S1101: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 1
47 min
170
Trailer: The Real Catch Me If You Can
1 min
171
S1004: The Man Who Wears Many Hats part 2
30 min
172
S1003: The Man Who Wears Many Hats part 1
28 min
173
S1002: The Sperm Donor
32 min
174
S1001: The Dadbot
40 min
175
S908: The Deepfake
17 min