{"podcast":{"title":"PRETEND","slug":"pretend-888499","podcast_index_feed_id":888499,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ADV1293150108","website_url":"http://www.pretendradio.org","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/d1194664-ec48-11e8-879b-cbb0584e3baa/image/040442e608423a0a46b99b03497edb3a.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Javier Leiva","episode_count":311,"summary":"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]","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T18:22:21.960053+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499"},"episode":{"title":"2503: Didn't See It Coming (Part 3)","slug":"2503-didn-t-see-it-coming-part-3","published_at":"2026-01-27T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/2503-didn-t-see-it-coming-part-3","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/GShUDppPATUMmMhYllkv/pfx.vpixl.com/h54wi/traffic.megaphone.fm/IMP2293893610.mp3?updated=1770069002","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/GShUDppPATUMmMhYllkv/pfx.vpixl.com/h54wi/traffic.megaphone.fm/IMP2293893610.mp3?updated=1770069002","summary":"The sting is set. The bait is in place. Six skeptics are logged into a Zoom call, pretending to be grieving siblings. They've paid $1,400 for a private reading with a medium Susan Gerbic believes is a hot reader. Months of planning have led to this moment. And then... the medium does something no one expected. In the finale of this three-part series, we find out what happened to Operation Banana Cream Pie. Then, Susan shares recordings from other readings she's analyzed, walking us through what she believes is evidence of hot reading in action. We break down the techniques, examine the receipts, and let you decide what it all means. Watch the full videos of Operation Banana Cream Pie on Susan Gerbic's YouTube page: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcSfdioxwHQGkyFZ68maphdIJuYcb8xln Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"The sting is set. The bait is in place. Six skeptics are logged into a Zoom call, pretending to be grieving siblings. They've paid $1,400 for a private re…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2606,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pretend-888499/episodes/2503-didn-t-see-it-coming-part-3/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/2503-didn-t-see-it-coming-part-3.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}