Cover image of Pretend - a true crime podcast about con artists

Pretend - a true crime podcast about con artists

PRETEND exposes the masterminds behind some of the most notorious scams and cons. From cult leaders to con artists and undercover FBI agents, this podcast pulls back the curtain on those who've preten... Read more

Warning: This podcast is a series podcast

This means episodes are recommended to be heard in order from the very start. Here's the 10 best episodes of the series anyway though!

Ranked #1

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S404: The Soccer Mom

S404: The Soccer Mom

Every night, Marie Walsh had the same nightmare.If only she could roll over and tell her husband the truth. But she can’... Read more

24 Apr 2019

40mins

Ranked #2

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S403: The One Who Got Away

S403: The One Who Got Away

Peter Pan syndrome is when someone refuses to grow up.  It’s neither a disease nor a recognized mental disorder—it’s ju... Read more

10 Apr 2019

57mins

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Ranked #3

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S301: The Prophet - Word of Faith Fellowship Cult Revisited

S301: The Prophet - Word of Faith Fellowship Cult Revisited

Season 3: The Prophet - Word of Faith Fellowship RevisitedI’m back with a whole new season of Pretend Radio. But this ti... Read more

28 Sep 2018

1hr 2mins

Ranked #4

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S106: The Real Estate Agent Part 1 - Todd Kohlhepp

S106: The Real Estate Agent Part 1 - Todd Kohlhepp

This week’s story is about self-professed serial killer Todd Kohlhepp. What’s terrifying about Todd Kohlhepp? He’s not t... Read more

9 Aug 2017

27mins

Most Popular Podcasts

Ranked #5

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S103: The Prophet Part 3 - Word of Faith Fellowship

S103: The Prophet Part 3 - Word of Faith Fellowship

In the Prophet part 3, we’ll look at the Word of Faith Fellowship from a completely different lens. We’ll hear from curr... Read more

22 Jun 2017

21mins

Ranked #6

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S104: Birth of a Con Man Part 1

S104: Birth of a Con Man Part 1

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 ... Read more

25 Jul 2017

23mins

Ranked #7

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S208: The Stranger

S208: The Stranger

A lie is only powerful if you choose to believe it. So why do we fall for it every time? In this episode, we’ll hear fou... Read more

9 May 2018

34mins

Ranked #8

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S302: The Prophet - Who is cult leader Jane Whaley?

S302: The Prophet - Who is cult leader Jane Whaley?

Who is Jane Whaley?Jane Whaley is the pastor at the Word of Faith Fellowship—a conservative, charismatic Christian churc... Read more

3 Oct 2018

34mins

Ranked #9

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S111: The Bigamist

S111: The Bigamist

Mary Turner Thomas says she married a bigamist. She claims her husband, William Allen Jordan, was involved with 8 differ... Read more

13 Sep 2017

33mins

Ranked #10

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S501: The Sugar Daddy part 1

S501: The Sugar Daddy part 1

1980s Prostitution in the Streets of DetroitBack in the 1980s, Mark Bando was a Detroit police officer working the stree... Read more

28 Aug 2019

34mins

Ranked #11

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S212: The Hijacker, Part 1 - Martin McNally

S212: The Hijacker, Part 1 - Martin McNally

Martin McNally is going to hijack this plane and nobody, not even the FBI, is going to stop him. In today’s episode, Ma... Read more

18 Jul 2018

43mins

Ranked #12

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S306: The Prophet - Meet Cult Leader Jane Whaley Part 1

S306: The Prophet - Meet Cult Leader Jane Whaley Part 1

As far as I know, I'm the first journalist who has ever interviewed pastor Jane Whaley. Heck, I might be the only member... Read more

31 Oct 2018

33mins

Ranked #13

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S109: The Pretender Part 1 - Undercover FBI Agent Marc Ruskin

S109: The Pretender Part 1 - Undercover FBI Agent Marc Ruskin

Before Marc Ruskin was an undercover FBI agent, he was an assistant DA in Brooklyn. Why did he give up his career as a p... Read more

27 Aug 2017

19mins

Ranked #14

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

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

South Carolina serial killer Todd Kohlhepp confesses to the Superbike Motorsports mass murder. This is part 2 of "The Re... Read more

10 Aug 2017

22mins

Ranked #15

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S504: The Cousins part 2

S504: The Cousins part 2

The most bizarre cyberstalking story you’ll ever hearSusan Fensten is a victim of cyberstalking. Distant family members ... Read more

9 Oct 2019

49mins

Ranked #16

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S502: The Sugar Daddy part 2

S502: The Sugar Daddy part 2

Alan Canty spent most of his lunch breaks rendezvousing with an 18-year-old sex worker named Dawn Spens in the seedy str... Read more

11 Sep 2019

51mins

Ranked #17

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S405: The Bounty Hunter Part 1

S405: The Bounty Hunter Part 1

Jack Saltarelli is a bounty hunter. His job is to hunt down fugitives. Any given day, he’s going after rapist, murderers... Read more

7 May 2019

39mins

Ranked #18

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S307: The Prophet - Meet Jane Whaley Part 2

S307: The Prophet - Meet Jane Whaley Part 2

Previously on Pretend Radio, I came face-to-face with pastor Jane Whaley of the Word of Faith Fellowship. When I arrived... Read more

7 Nov 2018

55mins

Ranked #19

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S209: The Good Cop, Bad Cop

S209: The Good Cop, Bad Cop

How does a good cop turn bad? For Ruben Palomares, a former corrupt LAPD Rampart division officer, the process was slow.... Read more

22 May 2018

39mins

Ranked #20

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S303: The Prophet - Former Cult Members Speak Out

S303: The Prophet - Former Cult Members Speak Out

On April 7th, 2018, more than a dozen former Word of Faith Fellowship members reunited at the Spindale House in Rutherfo... Read more

10 Oct 2018

26mins

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