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
201
The Stalker part 1
27 min
202
S509: The Santa Claus Man Revisited
42 min
203
S505: The Prank Revisited (featured on Netflix ...
75 min
204
S401: The One Who Got Away Revisited
47 min
205
S101: The Prophet Revisited - Word of Faith Fe...
56 min
206
S806: The Real Vampires Revisited
37 min
207
The Real Catch Me If You Can part 8
Frank Abagnale was honored with a Heroes in Ethics award at Xavier University. An ethics award for a conman!
60 min
208
The Real Catch Me If You Can part 7
57 min
209
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
210
The Real Catch Me If You Can part 5
Confrontation with Frank Abagnale
61 min
211
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
212
The Real Catch Me If You Can part 3
Two reporters destroy Frank Abagnale's story. Yet nobody cared.
41 min
213
The Real Catch Me If You Can part 2
56 min
214
The Real Catch Me If You Can part 1
47 min
215
Trailer: The Real Catch Me If You Can
1 min
216
S1004: The Man Who Wears Many Hats part 2
30 min
217
S1003: The Man Who Wears Many Hats part 1
28 min
218
S1002: The Sperm Donor
32 min
219
S1001: The Dadbot
40 min
220
S908: The Deepfake
17 min
221
S907: The Forensic Musicologist
27 min
222
PRETEND's 100th Episode
42 min
223
Javier Interviews a Serial Killer — Criminal Co...
28 min
224
S905: The Business of Cults part 3
56 min
225
S904: The Business of Cults part 2
42 min