ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
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]
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]
Hosts:
Update frequency:
every 4 days
Average audio length:
37 minutes
Has sponsors
English
United States
359 episodes
since June 4, 2017
serial
explicit content
IN THIS PODCAST 🔗
AUDIENCE OF THIS PODCAST 🔗
~73.15% of listeners are from United States.
🇺🇸
US
73.15%
🇬🇧
GB
14.96%
🇨🇦
CA
3.39%
🇦🇺
AU
2.36%
🇬🇭
GH
1.49%
🇪🇸
ES
0.74%
🇨🇭
CH
0.63%
🇹🇭
TH
0.60%
🇿🇦
ZA
0.55%
🇵🇹
PT
0.44%
🇩🇪
DE
0.31%
🇵🇱
PL
0.14%
🇳🇴
NO
0.11%
🇧🇭
BH
0.11%
🇨🇿
CZ
0.11%
Others
0.91%
* Data source: directly measured on Listen Notes. real-time
OLDEST EPISODE 🔗
PRETEND is a documentary-style podcast about con artists and real people pretending to be someone else.
Javier Leiva interviews real con artists, snake oil salesmen, and former cult members–anyone living a lie.
PRETEND is consistently in the top True Crime Podcasts in U.S., UK, Canada, and Aust…
PREVIOUS EPISODES 🔗
///UPDATE///
Start with Season 3, episode 1. After covering this cult, I was personally invited by the cult leader to spend the day with her. You won't want to miss it.
///UPDATE///
The Prophet part 1 explores The Word of Faith Fellowship. You will hear about the accused cult leader, Pastor Jane…
John Cooper remembers one of the Word of Faith Fellowship ministers commanding him to beat his wife. He also describes his family’s attempt to what he describes as a cult. Then it finally happened. John escaped. We’ll listen to secret recordings of pastor Jane Whaley trying to lure him back.
Le…
In the Prophet part 3, we’ll look at the Word of Faith Fellowship from a completely different lens. We’ll hear from current sect members and get their version of the story. Plus, you'll hear the latest on trial against five ministers accused of beating and kidnapping Michael Fenner. If you enjoy th…
In part one of the Birth of a Con Man, hear how man became a career criminal—a con-man. First, he started scamming auto insurance companies. Then the con got bigger and more elaborate. You see, that’s how it works. Once a con man gets away with it, they have to do it again. But the next time, the c…
Previously on Pretend Radio we witnessed the birth of a con man.
A man started his criminal career as a street thug and worked his way up to car insurance scam artist.
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This week’s story is about self-professed serial killer Todd Kohlhepp. What’s terrifying about Todd Kohlhepp? He’s not the type of serial killer you see in the movies. He doesn’t collect body parts in his fridge. He doesn’t taunt the media with riddles. He seems like a normal guy who owns a success…
South Carolina serial killer Todd Kohlhepp confesses to the Superbike Motorsports mass murder. This is part 2 of "The Real Estate Agent." I suggest starting with part 1. It was a Thursday morning. Kohlhepp walked into the Superbike motorsports store and started scoping out the place. He’s not shopp…
Sharon McConnell-Dickerson is preserving the Mississippi Delta blues with her own two hands. She's doing it by creating molds of some of the most influential blues musicians of our time. The lifecasts include a mask of Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Milton from Memphis, “Honeyboy” Edwards from Chicago,…
Before Marc Ruskin was an undercover FBI agent, he was an assistant DA in Brooklyn. Why did he give up his career as a powerful attorney to join the FBI academy? Well, in order to prosecute criminals, you have to catch them first. It didn’t take long for Marc to become an undercover agent. For 27 y…
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