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
176
S1212: The Stalker part 12
43 min
177
S1211: The Stalker part 11
41 min
178
S1210: The Stalker part 10
29 min
179
S1209: The Stalker part 9
39 min
180
S1208: The Stalker part 8
25 min
181
S1207: The Stalker part 7
25 min
182
S1206: The Stalker part 6
20 min
183
S1205: The Stalker part 5
27 min
184
S1204: The Stalker part 4
20 min
185
S1203: The Stalker part 3
25 min
186
S1202: The Stalker part 2
20 min
187
S1201: The Stalker part 1
27 min
188
S509: The Santa Claus Man Revisited
42 min
189
S505: The Prank Revisited (featured on Netflix ...
75 min
190
S401: The One Who Got Away Revisited
47 min
191
S101: The Prophet Revisited - Word of Faith Fe...
56 min
192
S806: The Real Vampires Revisited
37 min
193
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
194
S1107: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 7
57 min
195
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
196
S1105: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 5
Confrontation with Frank Abagnale
61 min
197
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
198
S1103: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 3
Two reporters destroy Frank Abagnale's story. Yet nobody cared.
41 min
199
S1102: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 2
56 min
200
S1101: The Real Catch Me If You Can part 1
47 min