{"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":"Operation Cockblock Revisited","slug":"operation-cockblock-revisited","published_at":"2026-05-05T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/operation-cockblock-revisited","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/IMP2987832554.mp3","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/IMP2987832554.mp3","summary":"A Colorado businessman with a criminal record, no credit, and a gift for charm somehow convinced dozens of women to finance his cars, his home, and his lifestyle. When they finally compared notes, they didn't get mad. They got organized. This is the story of Bill Sullivan, and the self-appointed militia of scorned women who banded together to take him down: Operation Cockblock. Before you go: Stick around for a sneak peek at Chain of Command, PRETEND's new investigative series about a secretive church that brands itself a \"ministry to the military\" and has been operating near U.S. military bases around the world. 🎧 Listen now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 💙 Or on Patreon: https://patreon.com/pretendradio?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"A Colorado businessman with a criminal record, no credit, and a gift for charm somehow convinced dozens of women to finance his cars, his home, and his li…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3296,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pretend-888499/episodes/operation-cockblock-revisited/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/operation-cockblock-revisited.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}