PRETEND

David Berry took an at-home DNA test and discovered dozens of half-siblings. Was this a coincidence or the scheme of one sperm donor? ______________ True Crime Podcast Festival 2022 in Dallas, TX We’re excited to announce that Criminal Conduct is going to be attending the True Crime Podcast Festival on August 26-28th in Dallas, Texas. The Festival is specially designed around your desire to mingle...

Does death start when your heart stops beating? What if technology can extend our lives and gives us immortality? Today's episode is about one son who turned his dying father into a chatbot. Here After AI https://www.hereafter.ai/ Replika https://replika.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're talking about deepfakes. Deepfakes are video or audio of a person in which their face, body, and/or voice has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else. And we're not just talking about some harmless Snapchat filters. This tech can start wars and destroy lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luxxury rips apart your favorite songs.  Check out his TikTok feed for more videos on interpolation. https://www.tiktok.com/@luxxuryxx/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lauren Passell, the founder of Tink Media, interviews Javier in celebration of PRETEND's 100th episode. Subscribe to Lauren's incredible podcast newsletter: https://podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Season 2 of PRETEND, I covered the story of a serial killer who murdered at least five American ex-pats. Three years after the story aired, I received a message from a listener who said she could put me in touch with the killer. I decided to turn my interviews with Wild Bill into an entire season of CRIMINAL CONDUCT. Listen to part 1 of Criminal Conduct season 3 then subscribe to listen to the...

Rebekah Sebastian and Javier Leiva visit businesses run by cults. Also, what happens when a cult leader dies or goes to prison? Can the cult go on without its leader? Find out which cults are trying to continue the organization without any clear leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cults are businesses too. Like any company, cults recruit, have middle management, and some even have succession plans.  Many of these religious sects are tax-exempt. Like Scientology, even some fringe religions are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.  Not all cults are religious. At first glance, some cults don't seem culty at all. For example, take a closer look at businesses such as mul...

Cults are businesses too. Like any company, cults recruit, have middle management, and some even have succession plans.  Many of these religious sects are tax-exempt. Like Scientology, even some fringe religions are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.  Not all cults are religious. At first glance, some cults don't seem culty at all. For example, take a closer look at businesses such as mul...

I'm working on a new series on cults that's really exciting. While you wait, here's a fun little bonus episode for you. Moxie LaBouche, host of the Your Brain on Facts podcast, and I talk about our favorite scams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this podcast episode A conversation with Jack Barsky, a former KGB spy. For 10 years, Jack Barsky was a sleeper agent spying for the Soviet Union. His job was to obtain secret or confidential information from inside the United States any way he could. The KGB Spy Jack Barsky spied on the United States from 1978 to 1988. And that entire time, his primary mission was to become an American. And th...

WARNING: This episode contains details about Santa Claus that younger listeners will not appreciate. If you have little ones around, plugin your headphones.  Happy Holidays, everyone! Javier Check out the Christmas Past podcast with Brian Earl for more magical fun listening. https://christmaspast.media/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Mack, a respected Harvard psychologist, uses hypnosis to recover memories of alien abductions. Alien abductions and hypnosis Like they say on the X-files, "the truth is out there." Throughout history, people claimed to have seen many unexplainable things. Some have tangible proof, like the leaked U.S. Navy cock pit videos chasing unidentified flying objects. Other experiencers don't have any...

Is hypnosis used in criminal investigations? Believe it or not, law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the US routinely use hypnosis as a form of forensic evidence. And in some states, evidence gained from forensic hypnosis is admissible in court. Even the federal government allows hypnosis under certain circumstances.  What is investigative hypnosis? When law enforcement hits a dead end, th...

I got hypnotized to recall a childhood trauma. In part one of The Hypnotist, I interviewed several hypnotherapists to answer the question: what is hypnosis? The short answer is a trancelike state that resembles sleep but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject.* In part two, I try hypnosis for myself to see what all the fuss is about. You see, when I was 8-mont...

I want to undergo hypnotic regression, experience it for myself, and try to unlock memories from my childhood that should probably never resurface. Can hypnosis help me recover that memory?  So, what the hell is hypnosis anyway?  What is hypnosis? Is hypnosis even a real thing? The word "hypno" comes from the Greek word "hypnus," which means sleep. And the suffix "osis" describes a process or stat...

John Browning investigates real blood-sucking vampires—people who need human blood to survive.  In today's episode, we will talk about real people who claim to be real vampires.  Self-harm You know, we bantered about tapping into veins and arteries from the vantage point of vampires feasting on blood. But if you remove the word vampire from our conversation, it starts sounding like a much more fam...

Michael shreds a mean "pretend" guitar. He's also a PRETEND podcast supporter on Patreon. If you want to co-host an episode with me, consider supporting the podcast on Patreon/ Patreon Guest Co-host: https://www.patreon.com/pretendradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lee King spilled the beans on his family's secret—leading to his father’s arrest. Hannah’s boyfriend, Lee King, is hiding a big secret; and it’s not just about his multiple fiances. It turns out his father, “Fast” Eddie Maher is an international fugitive. Fast Eddie, an international fugitive, was on the run for 20 years until his son gave him up. Today’s episode was brought to us by a long-time P...

Ransomware. Does that term ring a bell? Even if you've never heard those words before, trust me, most of us have experienced Ransomware one way or another. If you live on the East Coast, you remember waiting long hours at the gas pump this past May. That's because a hacking group known as DarkSide hacked the Colonial Pipeline. The hackers demanded a ransom for 75 bitcoins which is equivalent to $4...

Sean David Morton was arrested in 2016 after being charged with more than 50 counts related to filing phony tax documents and bogus government bonds. He was also accused of conspiracy to defraud the IRS. These are similar tactics used by sovereign citizens—but Sean David Mortin doesn't like that label.  You see, Sean David Morton's name is synonymous with the sovereign citizen movement. The New Yo...

Where do sovereign citizens go when they need medical attention? Some of them seek help from homeopathic quacks like Rick Van Thiel. Rick Van Thiel is not a surgeon. In reality, he's a porn star operating on people with dirty scalpels, reused needs, surrounded by filth. And the worst part is, he performs his surgeries in the nude. The last episode about sovereign citizens was just exposition for w...

What is a sovereign citizen?  American Sovereign citizens believe that the laws of the United States do not apply to them. Therefore, no authority should tell them what to do: not judges, lawmakers, lawyers, or police officers. Oh, and they don't pay taxes either.  Sounds crazy, right? It would be crazy if they didn't get away with it so often. ________ Story idea? If you have a story to share, em...

This is the very first episode I recorded for PRETEND. Hear how a small-time crook went from breaking into houses to running a phony medical clinic. ------- FEATURING: Follow the Truth Podcast Trailer In 1993, James Jordan, father of NBA legend Michael, was murdered in NC. Was the wrong man convicted of pulling the trigger? E1 and E2 release date: 7/22/21 Check out Follow the Truth Podcast: https:...

This week, we revisit one of PRETEND's most popular episodes. It's called the Hijacker and it's a collaboration with my friend Chris Knittel. Hear Martin McNally describe the day he hijacked a plane. ________ Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier at javier@pretendradio.org. For more episodes like this, visit pretendradio.org. To get early releases and bonus episodes, go to pretend...