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PODCAST

PRETEND

Creative Babble, LLC

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

true crime

All Episodes

20:32

S203: The Boy and the Girl

PRETEND ·

2018/02/14

Candis Cox and her husband Adam live in North Carolina. This is their love story. Their story is unremarkable in many ways. They met at a bar, went on a date, and eventually married after years of dating. What makes this story special is listening to them retell it. But love doesn’t come without sacrifice. This is a story about being your true self, even when the world is making you pretend to be someone else. The boy and the girl was written and produced by Javier Leiva and Wendy Gatlin. Learn more

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26:46

S202: The Snake Oil Salesman Part 2 - Curing Autism

PRETEND ·

2018/02/07

Last time, I spoke with a group of women who drink a bleach-type chemical that they claim cures everything from cancer to depression. I soon discovered that parents are forcefully giving bleach enemas to kids with autism. In this episode, I interview Kerri Rivera, the woman leading this movement, and find out why she thinks this chlorine dioxide treatment is the cure for autism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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25:19

S201: The Snake Oil Salesman Part 1 - Curing cancer &...

PRETEND ·

2018/01/31

I stumbled upon a group of people who self-medicate with chlorine dioxide, a bleach like substance. They claim it cures everything from headaches, malaria, HIV, & cancer. In this episode, you'll hear from the man who discovered the "miracle cure" and from the people who take it. Thanks to Chris Cogswell w/ the Mad Scientist Podcast & Dr. Zuckerman with the TOXnow Podcast. toxnow.org/ themadscientistpodcast.com/ The Disgraceland Podcast disgracelandpod.libsyn.com/ Learn more about your ad choices

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33:17

S111: The Bigamist

PRETEND ·

2017/09/13

Mary Turner Thomas says she married a bigamist. She claims her husband, William Allen Jordan, was involved with 8 different women and fathered 13 kids. At one point, he had two wives, two fiances and a girlfriend on both sides of the Atlantic. William Allen Jordan and Mary Turner Thomson How in the world did Mary not know about these other relationships? How can one man pull off a con this big? It's easy to dismiss Mary as being naive. However, William Jordan was a skilled con man. Once you listen

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26:00

S110: The Pretender Part 2 - Undercover FBI Agent...

PRETEND ·

2017/09/05

The Pretender - Marc Ruskin FBI undercover agent Remember the name Marc Ruskin: because if you run into him, chances are he will introduce himself as Alex Perez, H. Marc Renard, or Sal Morelli – just a few of his FBI undercover personas. Marc Ruskin started his career as an assistant DA in Brooklyn and left it all behind to join the FBI Academy. It didn’t take him long to become an FBI undercover agent. His first big undercover case landed him in Wall Street busting up trading scams. That case went

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19:26

S109: The Pretender Part 1 - Undercover FBI Agent...

PRETEND ·

2017/08/27

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 years, he slipped into various different characters busting criminals ranging from drug dealers to Wall Street insiders. At one point, Marc was juggling three or four cases at a time – switching back and

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23:11

S108: The Sculptor

PRETEND ·

2017/08/23

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, and Pinetop Perkins from Clarksdale, just to name a few – almost 60 musicians total. http://mcconnelldickersonart.com/blues-lifecast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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22:47

S107: The Real Estate Agent - Part 2 - Todd Kohlhepp

PRETEND ·

2017/08/10

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 shopping for motorcycle. He’s looking for his next victims. Kohlhepp: "I got there. Not everybody was there. I went in sat on a few bikes, did my usual. Basically buying for time. And doing my best to make sure

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27:27

S106: The Real Estate Agent Part 1 - Todd Kohlhepp

PRETEND ·

2017/08/09

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 successful real estate company. Listen as his last surviving victim describes how he killed her boyfriend and locked her up in a shipping container for weeks. And that's just the beginning. SUBSCRIBE NOW Apple

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19:38

S105: Birth of a Con Man Part 2 - Opioid epidemic

PRETEND ·

2017/07/27

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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23:27

S104: Birth of a Con Man Part 1

PRETEND ·

2017/07/25

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 con is bigger and more complex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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21:56

S103: The Prophet Part 3 - Word of Faith Fellowship

PRETEND ·

2017/06/22

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 the show, consider donating a dollar: https://patreon.com/user?u=5971503&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare2 Follow us on: Twitter: @pretend_radio Facebook:

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23:02

S102: The Prophet Part 2 - Word of Faith Fellowship

PRETEND ·

2017/06/20

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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24:31

S101: The Prophet Part 1 - Word of Faith Fellowship

PRETEND ·

2017/06/06

///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 Whaley, who many inside the sect believe is a prophet with direct communication with God. John Cooper describes the day 20 to 30 sect members surrounded and attacked him. He also shares secret recordings

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1:56

PRETEND Podcast Trailer

PRETEND ·

2017/06/04

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 Australia. It has been featured in the New York Times, the BBC, and New York Magazine. In 2018, Vulture named PRETEND one of the top 52 True Crime podcasts in the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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295 results

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