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
151
1304: The Cuban Spy part 2
27 min
152
1303: The Cuban Spy part 1
28 min
153
1302: The Real Catch Me If You Can - The Promis...
18 min
154
1301: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 9 (update)
47 min
155
1215- The Proxy part 2
33 min
156
1214- The Proxy part 1
29 min
157
S1213: The Stalker part 13 (The Arraignment)
20 min
158
S1212: The Stalker part 12
43 min
159
S1211: The Stalker part 11
41 min
160
S1210: The Stalker part 10
29 min
161
S1209: The Stalker part 9
39 min
162
S1208: The Stalker part 8
25 min
163
S1207: The Stalker part 7
25 min
164
S1206: The Stalker part 6
20 min
165
S1205: The Stalker part 5
27 min
166
S1204: The Stalker part 4
20 min
167
S1203: The Stalker part 3
25 min
168
S1202: The Stalker part 2
20 min
169
S1201: The Stalker part 1
27 min
170
S509: The Santa Claus Man Revisited
42 min
171
S505: The Prank Revisited (featured on Netflix ...
75 min
172
S401: The One Who Got Away Revisited
47 min
173
S101: The Prophet Revisited - Word of Faith Fe...
56 min
174
S806: The Real Vampires Revisited
37 min
175
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