PRETEND

A Florida treasure-hunting CEO says he was tricked by a conman.Seafarer Exploration, a treasure salvage company, has spent the last 13 years trying to find a 300-year-old Spanish galleon sunken off the coast of Florida. A galleon is a large sailboat, with multiple leveled decks, and 3 or 4 masts. These ships were designed to carry large treasures found in the new world and bring them back to Spain. Lost treasureIn 1715, a Spanish fleet loaded up with silver departed from Havana, Cuba. Seven days later, a hurricane off the east coast of central Florida swooped in and took down eleven of the twelve ships. Hence, the reason they call this part of Florida the treasure coast. But as you can imagine, trying to find the mother load buried underneath the ocean is like finding a needle in a haystack. If Seafarer Exploration has any chance of finding this treasure, they are going to need to find someone who can build a ship that is powerful enough to scan the ocean floor. Imagine a giant floating metal detector that can capture high-resolution images of the seabed. That's when Kyle Kennedy, CEO of Seafarer Exploration, met a man who said, "Sure. I can build you this machine." His name was Dr. Michael Torres.  Kyle Kennedy claims that Michael Torres presented himself as an aeronautical engineer who graduated with a doctorate degree from Duke University. Torres also said he taught at MIT Draper labs and represented the NSA while also working on multiple classified government contracts. Kyle Kennedy couldn't believe it. This Dr. Michael Torres guy was perfect! And on top of an unbelievable resume, Kennedy says that Dr. Torres was a wounded war hero, who served two tours in Afghanistan. He was even awarded the Purple Heart medal. The lawsuitFast-forward a few years later, Kyle Kennedy is now suing Michael Torres for fraud. He says Michael Torres is a con artist who faked his credential. So, who is this guy? Dr. Michael Torres? I'm going to track him down to find out if he really is who they say he is. It turns out that the conman in this story is not who you would expect.-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A man says his best friend scammed him out of almost $100,000. Now, he's getting revenge.Jonathan Walton fell for the oldest trick in the book. He said, “It wasn't some Nigerian Prince emailing me in my spam folder. It was a living, breathing, lovable woman.” That lovable woman’s name is Mair Smyth. She’s also known as Marianne Smyth, or Marianne Andle, or Marianne Welch. She has 23 known aliases.The way Johnathan Walton describes her, Marianne Smyth is a gifted con artist who brilliantly juggles lies with ease. Each lie gracefully circles in the air, passing through her hands, without ever getting caught. But when she decided to rip off Johnathan Walton, she picked the wrong mark. You can learn more about this story by visiting https://johnathanwalton.com/Bonus episode Historical Cons - The man who sold the Brooklyn BridgePatreon exclusive episodeThis is the first in a series of new Patreon only episodes. The series will focus on historical con artists. Today's episode is about the man who sold the Brooklyn Bridge.This week, I'm joined by Rebekah Sebastian with the Die-alogue podcast and the Yellowtape true crime trivia show. Listen here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/42197195-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Confessions of a former identity thief Dartanyon A. Williams stole his parents' identities at the age of 15. Unfortunately, they weren’t his last victims. Dartanyon, who also goes by DAW, claims he has stolen thousands of identities. So many that he lost count. How to steal someone’s identityHow did he do it? He had many tactics. But the most proven technique was paying off employees at restaurants, car dealerships, and tax preparation companies. These employees served as double agents. When no one was looking, they would collect customer social security numbers and smuggle them to DAW. Today, DAW’s life of crime is behind him. He’s currently running for congress this November for the U.S. House to represent Louisiana's 6th Congressional District. How to protect your identityThese days, it’s just as easy to steal your identity from a breached database. Everything an identity thief needs to steal your identity is already online. What can you do to protect yourself? Click here to see if your email has been involved in a breached database:https://haveibeenpwned.com/Freezing your credit and setting up a fraud alertI’ve taken the extreme step of freezing my credit. It’s actually not really that extreme. In fact, it’s quite easy. In this episode, you’ll hear how simple it is to lock down your credit so that no one can assume your identity. Michael Bazzell, a privacy consultant, walks me through the credit freeze process. For more details, download his step-by-step guide. Essentially, get a free credit report from one of the credit bureaus, then ask them to freeze your credit. This way, no one can open a line of credit under your name. If you ever need to unfreeze your credit, it’s easy. Just unfreeze your credit by going online or with a quick phone call. EquifaxOnline: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/ExperianOnline: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.htmlTransUnionOnline: https://service.transunion.com/dss/orderStep1_form.pageMichael BazzellTo learn more about Michael Bazzell, check out his website IntelTechniques.com and listen to his podcast The Privacy, Security, & OSINT show. I also recommend you buy a copy of Extreme Privacy: What it takes to disappear.-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this podcast, the host attempts to learn more about privacy expert Michael Bazzell, who is known for making people disappear. They discuss his strict privacy measures and his book on extreme privacy. Other topics include protecting privacy on cell phones, the benefits and limitations of nomad residency, buying houses anonymously, maintaining privacy in modern society, and the importance of alias wallets and hotel privacy risks. They also share a personal experience of trying to help a woman escape her abusive husband.

In the last episode, we talked about the wrong way to disappear. Faking your own death rarely works. But did you know that there are real people out there who legitimately need to fade away into society? Who needs to disappear?There are many reasons to live anonymously. However, we’ve broken it down to four different archetypes: the executive, the celebrity, the victim, and the government employee. The executiveCEOs and business executives are easy targets. They take all the credit when things go right. But they’re also responsible any time something goes wrong. And when that happens they have to minimize the threat. It could be a disgruntled employee, or they'be a target because of their wealth. Recently, a Silicon Valley CEO was kidnapped and murdered by two former employees. Hear tactics executives use to live privately.The celebrityToday’s celebrities are more accessible than ever. Stars like Taylor Swift, Eminem, and UFC fighter Anthony Smith have had their homes broken into. Alison Sweeney, from Days of our Lives and the Biggest Loser, talks about balancing the limelight with basic privacy rights. The victimOften times, domestic violence victims need to disappear in order to survive. Hear the story on how one victim fled her attacker. The government employeeJudges and prosecutors are often targets of intimidation and death threats. And police are targets too due to the heightened attention on police brutality and racial profiling. Learn how government employees eliminate the threat by making themselves impossible to find.This series is a collaboration with Michael Bazzell. In the next few episodes, we’re going to show you to successfully vanish from society. You too can live undetected. It’s not just for wealthy CEOs. For more than 20 years, Michael Bazzell worked on behalf of the US government investigating computer crimes. He was also a consultant on the hacker show Mr. Robot. He no longer works for the government. These days, Michael Bazzell helps people disappear.----Get Michael Bazzell's book:Extreme Privacy: What it takes to disappearAffiliate link disclaimer.-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Olivia Newton-John’s Former Boyfriend Fake His Own Death?Faking your own death is almost always a bad idea. Hear the story of Patrick McDermott, Olivia Newton John’s boyfriend, who many believe staged his own death. The wrong way to disappearPeople have been playing dead since the beginning of time. There’s really no way of knowing for how long this has been going on. But I can imagine that the illusion of dying is closely correlated with the concept of debt. If you owe someone lots of money, you have two options: either pay it or run away. Patrick McDermott, Olivia Newton-John’s missing boyfriend, had every reason to run away. His film work had dried up and he owed his ex-wife thousands of dollars in back child support.It took 10 days for anyone to realize he was missing. Olivia Newton-John wasn’t looking for him because they had just recently broken up. It wasn’t until he didn’t show up to pick up his son that his ex-wife noticed something was wrong. But people can’t just run away without leaving behind clues.  Patrick McDermott was last seen after going on an overnight fishing trip. Was McDermott lost at sea or was he just on the run? The truth is, no one wanted to find out. His ex-wife filed a claim on his life insurance. And Olivia Newton John wanted the whole thing put behind her.When the manager of the marina was asked about McDermott’s whereabouts, he said that Patrick McDermott’s name was indeed on the ship’s manifesto. And there was something else. He left behind his tackle box. Inside, they found his wallet, driver’s license, and car keys. Why would anyone want to fake their own death?I haven’t seen any real study on this topic but I can imagine that there are many reasons why someone would want to leave their own life behind and start fresh. It could be forbidden love like in Romeo and Juliet. Or it can be greed—like someone trying to cash in on their own life insurance policy. When it comes to dying, people have many different motivations. How to disappear with Michael BazzellThis series is a collaboration with Michael Bazzell, a privacy consultant and host of The PRIVACY, SECURITY, & OSINT Show. We’re going to show you the wrong way and the right way to disappear. Buy the book: Extreme Privacy: What it takes to disappear by Michael Bazzell:https://amzn.to/2XFm4ofA special thanks to Philip Klein. If you want to read more about Patrick McDermott’s disappearance, check out the book “Lost at Sea: The hunt for Patrick McDermott.”Buy the book: Lost at Seahttps://amzn.to/3ihMjcfAffiliate link disclaimer.-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The COVID-19 pandemic is a conman’s Super Bowl. In times like these, when there's so much uncertainty, snake oil salesmen are ready to promise you a cure.In this episode, you'll hear from a woman who takes one of these miracle drugs. I ask her why she takes it.Special thanks to:Joe Terrell with Instrument of Mercy https://instrumentofmercy.com/A Concerned Citizen and host of SwindledSources:https://www.who.int/csr/don/2011_11_24/en/https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20170722143956/https:/www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm184087.htmhttps://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/what-can-coronavirus-tell-us-about-conspiracy-theories/610894/https://news.gallup.com/poll/248837/church-membership-down-sharply-past-two-decades.aspxhttps://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/may/holy-spirit-empowered-christian-global-pentecostal-study.html-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COVID-19 ScamsI wasn’t expecting to be back with a new PRETEND episode so soon. In fact, I’m still wrapping up the final episodes for my new show called CRIMINAL CONDUCT. But the world around us has changed. And scammers are on the prowl. If you live in the US, chances are you probably received your stimulus payment. It went either straight into your bank account through direct deposit. Or some of you may have cashed the check that you received in the mail. We’re talking about much-needed money for tens of millions of Americans out of work due to the Coronavirus. $1,200 for individuals and $3,400 for a family of four. The IRS has sent out 150 million payments so far since the time of this recording… but more payments are still expected to still arrive through the end of June. And if you haven’t received your check, you’re probably wondering what’s the hold-up? Unfortunately for some, your money is probably gone and in the hands of thieves. Today, I’m going to show you exactly how easy it is for scammers to steal your money. In fact, I’ve challenged a privacy expert to try and hack into my private information. I was really shocked at what he was able to find.Resources:Password managers1Password.com (User-friendly and secure)Bitwarden (More secure cloud-based password manager)KeePassXC (More secure computer-based password manager) Search to see if you’re password is exposed in a breached databasehttps://haveibeenpwned.com/Credit freezes Credit Freeze Tutorial (Full Workbook) Annual Credit Report (Free credit report to detect fraud)Enable 2-factor authentication on all platforms that support it https://twofactorauth.org/Online removal workbookhttps://inteltechniques.com/data/workbook.pdfAdditional resourcesMichael Bazzell’s website Intel TechniquesEva Velasquez Identity Theft Resource Center-------Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

//Criminal Conduct debuts on March 23rd.//Get an inside look into the making of the new podcast. Thank you to Jerri Williams from FBI Retired Case File Review for helping us with this bonus episode.You can listen to the episode one now on Patreon.https://www.patreon.com/posts/34832524Subscribe to Criminal Conduct now so you won't miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On September 2nd, 2010, 24 year-old Michelle O’Connell broke up with her boyfriend, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Deputy, Jeremy Banks. Minutes later, she was dead.The St. Johns Sheriff’s Office quickly ruled the case a suicide, without examining crucial forensic evidence or interviewing any key witnesses. A medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, yet other investigations failed to gain traction.Her boyfriend, Deputy Jeremy Banks was never charged and is still working as a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Deputy.Years later, an amateur sleuth named Eli Washtock winds up murdered after investigating Michelle O’Connell’s death. What did he find out?‘Criminal Conduct’ is an investigative true crime podcast series hosted by John Taylor and Javier Leiva. The hosts retrace the footsteps of Eli Washtock, the slain sleuth; picking up the investigation where he left off.‘Criminal Conduct’ will be released in the spring of 2020. Subscribe now on all podcast platforms.criminalconduct.netApple Podcasthttps://apple.co/2S4KaoGGoogle Playhttp://bit.ly/CriminalConGoogleStitcherhttp://bit.ly/CriminalConStitcherSpotifyhttps://spoti.fi/2S0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices