PRETEND

Frank Abagnale claims he never stole money from the little guy—it was all victimless crimes. But that's not what I found. Hear the story of one family who says they were robbed blind by Abagnale.

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Fact-checking for this episode by Kate Gallagher.

Special thanks to Alan Logan, author of The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can

Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/173619741X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_5EAWP7S0XC5J1WJQF2D5

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Frank Abagnale... the con man whose story inspired Catch Me If You Can — claims he posed as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer before he was 21. Court and prison records tell a very different story.

This might be my favorite PRETEND series of all time. 

Remember the movie Catch Me If You Can? Most people believe the film is based on a true story. But, did you know it's mostly made up? I spent the last few weeks and months pouring over court records, police reports, and other documents to prove that Frank Abagnale faked his entire life story. It turns out that the real story behind Catch Me If You Can is actually a lot more fascinating than the one you thought you knew.

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Fact-checking for this episode by Kate Gallagher.

Special thanks to Alan Logan, author of The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can

Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/173619741X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_5EAWP7S0XC5J1WJQF2D5

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Jordan Harbinger

Search for The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts

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What if I told you that 90% of Frank Abagnale's claims are totally made up? Yeah, that's right. The most extraordinary con man in the world never actually did the crimes he claims he did.

In the new season of PRETEND, host Javier Leiva debunks Frank Abagnale’s claims one by one, not with opinions but with court and prison records. This series also gives voice to new victim testimonies. In the end, Leiva travels to Las Vegas to confront Abagnale about his lies. This is the real-life Catch Me If You Can.

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Fred Brito posed as a priest in order to hide from law enforcement. Find out how he ALMOST got away with it.

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Follow PRETEND on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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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, interact, and have casual conversations with the podcasters you listen to regularly. There will also be panel discussions and live episodes you can’t hear anywhere else!

Go to the website Truecrimepodcastfestival.com to find information on tickets and the hotel. Prices do go up the closer we get to the event so you won’t want to wait. I’ll see you at the True Crime Podcast Festival!

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Listen to a preview for the Stolen Lives Podcast at the end of the episode:

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Fred Brito worked as a psychiatrist, priest, and a Red Cross fundraiser—but it was all based on lies.

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Follow PRETEND on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

______________

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, interact, and have casual conversations with the podcasters you listen to regularly. There will also be panel discussions and live episodes you can’t hear anywhere else!

Go to the website Truecrimepodcastfestival.com to find information on tickets and the hotel. Prices do go up the closer we get to the event so you won’t want to wait. I’ll see you at the True Crime Podcast Festival!

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

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?

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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, interact, and have casual conversations with the podcasters you listen to regularly. There will also be panel discussions and live episodes you can’t hear anywhere else!

Go to the website Truecrimepodcastfestival.com to find information on tickets and the hotel. Prices do go up the closer we get to the event so you won’t want to wait. I’ll see you at the True Crime Podcast Festival!

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

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/

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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.

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Luxxury rips apart your favorite songs. 

Check out his TikTok feed for more videos on interpolation.

https://www.tiktok.com/@luxxuryxx/

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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/

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