PRETEND

Disclaimer: We will be talking about sexual abuse and other disturbing topics. Listener discretion is advised.Strip-search hoaxA prank caller pretending to be a police officer instructed fast-food managers to strip-search female employees forcing them to jog naked, do jumping jacks and perform other humiliating acts. He made more than 70 of these calls in the United States over a 12-year period.Why do we obey?Some of the managers were charged with rape and kidnapping as a result of these pranks. How could they fall for such a prank?The truth is, humans are programmed to respect authority. But why do we obey? In this episode, you'll hear real audio from Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience and authority. The results are shocking.Bonus episodeDonna Summers, the manager from the McDonalds restaurant in Mount Washington, sued McDonald's for failing to warn her about the previous hoaxes. She asked for $50 million. She was awarded $1 million in punitive damages and $100,000 in compensatory damages.Listen to my conversation with her attorney Wendy Wagner.The Pranks part 1 BONUS (McDonalds Lawsuit)https://www.patreon.com/posts/pranks-part-1-30952858Links and sourceshttps://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2005/10/09/a-hoax-most-cruel-caller-coaxed-mcdonalds-managers-/28936597/https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/man-on-trial-for-kidnapping-rape/article_faeff508-246c-54db-8a66-15d121c5112d.htmlhttps://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2005/10/09/a-hoax-most-cruel-caller-coaxed-mcdonalds-managers-/28936597/https://web.archive.org/web/20090325234639/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15504125/CreditsToday’s show was written by Javier Leiva and edited by Molly Brock. Our theme music was written and composed by Joe Basile with TheChicken.net. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear. Support for this episode is brought to you by HempFusionUse promo code PRETEND for 20% off of your first order and free shipping at hempfusion.com. Get HempFusion shipped anywhere in the US.-------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 most bizarre cyberstalking story you’ll ever hearSusan Fensten is a victim of cyberstalking. Distant family members and ex-cons bombarded her with harassing emails. She felt cornered and there was nothing she could do about it.Rapists and Stalkers and cannibals, oh my.Two ex-cons convicted of raping a woman were sending her threatening emails. They even invited her to the Fall Slaughter an event hosted by a cannibalistic cult from upstate New York. The plan was to eat her alive.It was all a hoaxNone of this was real. All these threatening messages were fake. And worst of all, the people Susan thought she was interacting with weren’t real either. Today’s story focuses on the search for this cyberstalker. Who was targeting Susan? And why did they want her to suffer?Subscribe to PRETEND on your favorite podcast app:  Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.Check out Susan Fensten’s Memoir based on this story titled, “You have a very soft voice, Susan.”Today’s show was written by Javier Leiva and edited by Molly Brock. Our theme music was written and composed by Joe Basile with TheChicken.net. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear. Bonus episodes:Susan Fensten shares a story that didn't make it in her book.The full interview with FBI Special Agent Brandon WallerSupport for this episode is brought to you by HempFusionUse promo code PRETEND for 20% off of your first order and free shipping at hempfusion.com. Get HempFusion shipped anywhere in the US. -------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

This is not your typical internet stalker story. Susan Fensten's tale is one of torture, rape, bondage, cannibalism, and murder. It’s just plain cruel. It all started when Susan began looking for distant family members on a genealogy site. While trying to fill the gaps with her family tree, she found herself tangled in a web of lies.Her newfound cousin, Leonard Nachman, bombarded her with pornographic emails and a picture of himself masturbating while wearing nylon bodysuits. It was disturbing.But I don't want to give away too much of the story. After you’re done listening to part one, get an early preview of part two on Patreon.Also, check out Susan Fensten’s Memoir based on this story titled, “You have a very soft voice, Susan.”Subscribe to PRETEND on your favorite podcast app: Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.Today’s show was written by Javier Leiva and edited by Logan Castrodale. Our theme music was written and composed by Joe Basile with TheChicken.net. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions. -------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

Alan Canty spent most of his lunch breaks rendezvousing with an 18-year-old sex worker named Dawn Spens in the seedy streets of downtown Detroit. His wife Jan Canty had no idea he was living a double-life.A real-life Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sagaAlan Canty was a prominent psychologist but to Dawn, and her pimp John “Lucky” Fry, he was known as Dr. Alan Miller. He developed an alter ego in order to protect his two worlds from colliding. However, secrets can’t last forever. One day, Alan Canty’s love affair came to a tragic end. Links and sources:If you enjoyed the story, check out Lowell Lowell Cauffiel’s book titled Masquerade To read Jan Canty’s memoir visit Amazon or www.jancantyphd.comCreditsToday’s episode was edited by Bear Beat Productions and additional editing by Molly BrockOur Theme is Music by Joe Basie with theChicken.netAnd additional music by Blue Dot Sessions-------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

1980s Prostitution in the Streets of DetroitBack in the 1980s, Mark Bando was a Detroit police officer working the streets of Detroit. His assignment was to keep tabs on women forced into prostitution, their pimps, and the sugar daddies who kept them in business. Dawn Spens was one of those women. We follow their interlaced story.Dawn’s sugar daddy was a prominent psychologist named Alan Canty. He would meet her for sex during his lunch break. This relationship went on for two years. Meanwhile, his wife Jan Canty didn’t know what was really going on. This rendezvous didn’t last forever. Hear how Alan Canty’s double life was exposed. Meet the charactersThe Sugar Daddy- Alan CantyThe Sex Worker- Dawn SpensThe Pimp- John “Lucky”Links and sources:If you enjoyed the story, check out Lowell Lowell Cauffiel’s book titled Masquerade To read Jan Canty’s memoir visit Amazon or www.jancantyphd.comThis is part one of a two-part series. Subscribe to Patreon to listen to part two right now CreditsThis episode was written and produced by Javier LeivaEdited by Molly BrockMusic by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington BearTheme music by Joe Basile and thechicken.net-------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 Norco Security Pacific Bank heist was just the beginning. The thief in the nightGeorge Smith and his friend Chris Harven decided to rob a bank in Norco, California. And just like in the movies, these bank robbers charged into the bank and demanded all the money. Except, it was a Friday afternoon, and the vault was pretty much empty.In part one of The Norco Bank Heist, we left off as the bank robbers blasted away the Sheriff Deputies arriving at the scene.DoomsdayPeter Houlahan, author of the book “Norco ‘80” says that “There were over 500 rounds fired—200 of them shot at [Deputy Glyn] Balasky alone. They hit his vehicle 46 times, wounding him badly in the elbow. All three of the responding deputies had their vehicle struck multiple times. There were bullets in citizens cars, in houses, in the storefronts. Everything in that intersection was hit with gunfire. Five civilians had been injured.”The Riverside County Sheriff's deputies were completely overwhelmed in the firefight. They never really stood a chance.The pursuitGeorge Wayne Smith and his buddies managed to flee the scene and are on their way to get the cold cars parked a few miles away. But how did this chaotic chase end 60 miles east in a remote canyon heading towards the Mojave desert?------Norco ’80Buy a copy of Norco ’80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History by Peter Houlahan on Amazon or wherever you get your books.------Support for this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.Is there is something that interferes with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving your goals? Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment.Sign up today with discount code “PRETEND” to get 10% off your first month.Betterhelp.com/pretend-------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

This is the story of the 1980 Norco bank robbery—one of the most violent bank heists in U.S. history. Remarkably, only three people died. However, 30 police cars and one helicopter were torn apart by bullets.In this episode, you’re going to hear from some of the people who were there that day at the Security Pacific Bank.This wasn’t your typical bank robbery. George Smith, the mastermind behind the heist, believed the rapture was coming.His gang of bank robbers was armed with military-grade weapons. The police never stood a chance. I mean, it was a downright war zone. Why would George Smith go to such extremes just to rob a bank?We’re going to spend the next two episodes trying to get inside the mind of George Wayne Smith. Who was he? And what motivated him to orchestrate such an insane bank robbery? And how did they finally catch him, the following day in the canyons, heading to the Mojave Desert?Buy a copy of Norco '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History by Peter Houlahan on Amazon or wherever you get your books.-------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/donateThis episode was written and produced by Javier LeivaEdited by Molly ClayMusic by Blue Dot SessionsTheme music by Joe Basile and thechicken.netSupport for this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.BetterHelpIs there is something that interferes with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving your goals? Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment.Sign up today with discount code “PRETEND” to get 10% off your first month.Betterhelp.com/pretend Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susan Gerbic says that psychics are grief vampires—taking advantage of our broken hearts.She asks, “Why isn’t anybody doing something about this?” Susan Gerbic is just like you and me. She has a normal job working as a baby photographer. But at night, she is a badass vigilante hunting psychics. Susan says, “One of my favorite things to do is try to expose people we call grief vampires. People who claim to speak to the dead.”Her motivation is not to settle a vendetta. In fact, she says she’s never really been the target of a psychic. Susan simply doesn’t like them and the way they profit off of people’s grief. The US market for psychic services is worth about $2 billion annually according to IBIS World, a market research firm based in Los Angeles California.On this episode of Pretend, Susan attempts to capture psychics lying on tape. These psychic hunters spent months setting up fake Facebook pages, hoping that a so-called psychic uses the falsified information during a psychic reading. It took a few tries, but she finally got one on tape.Links:Silvia Browne gets punked by skeptic Mark EdwardTim Braun (psychic)Chip Coffey (psychic)Thomas John (psychic)New York Times article:Inside the Secret Sting Operations to Expose Celebrity Psychics - The ...https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/magazine/psychics-skeptics-facebook.htmlSupport for this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.Is there is something that interferes with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving your goals? Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment.Sign up today with discount code “PRETEND” to get 10% off your first month.Betterhelp.com/pretend-------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/donateThis episode was written and produced by Javier LeivaTheme music by Joe Basile with thechicken.netAdditional music by Glad Rags Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1979, two high school kids claiming to be psychic managed to fool parapsychology researchers at Washington University using simple magic tricks and sleight of hand. Little did the scientists know, these kids were just amateur magicians pulling a fast one on them.Today, these kids are grown. Their names are Steve Shaw, who now goes by the stage name Banachek, and Mike Edwards. But back in 1979, they were seen as boys with exceptional abilities. They were planted in the parapsychology research study by the magician and skeptic James Randi. They coined this stunt Project Alpha.The parapsychology lab at Washington State University was called the McDonnell Laboratory for Psychical Research. The lab ran a long series of experiments ranging from moving objects in sealed glass domes to controlling clocks and creating images appear on unexposed film. Banacheck and Edwards say they received no training from James Randi. They had to rely on their instincts and come up with illusions on the fly.During their time at the McDonnell research institute, they followed one rule—always tell the truth if you’re ever asked whether they were faking the results. They kept this ruse going for almost three years.This is part of my series on Psychics. Part 1 features my conversation with Uri Geller.-------------LinksEXPLORATORY RESEARCH WITH TWO NEW PSYCHIC METAL BENDERSTranscribed from Research in Parapsychology (1981), pp. 144-146Peter R. Phillips and Mark Shafer† (Washington University)http://www.aiprinc.org/documents/PS.pdfMcDonnell Laboratory press release after the revelationhttp://www.aiprinc.org/documents/CIA_on_Randi.pdfParapsychological Weapon - NSA MemoProject STARGATEhttps://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/nsa-rdp96x00790r000100030042-9-------------Written and Produced by Javier LeivaTheme music by Joe Basile with thechicken.netAdditional music by Podington Bear and Glad RagsAdditional audio provided by Banachek's Brain podcast-------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/donateSupport for this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Is there is something that interferes with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving your goals? Connect with your professional counselor in a safe and private online environment.Sign up today with discount code "PRETEND" to get 10% off your first month.Betterhelp.com/pretend Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2017, The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released more than 12 million pages of declassified documents online. Some of these documents pertained to the self-proclaimed psychic spy Uri Geller. The documents revealed a CIA funded study at the Stanford Research Institute revolving around psychokinesis. Psychokinesis is the ability for someone to move objects with the power of their minds. Why in the world would the CIA, arguably the world’s most elite spy agency, want to study psychics?I interviewed Uri Geller about his time at the Stanford Research Institute. We spoke about his childhood, discovering his supernatural abilities, his involvement with spy agencies like the Israeli Mossad, and many other unbelievable events.You have to remember, this all took place in the 1970s. Governments were more open to exploring the supernatural. Even the Soviet Union reportedly hired psychics to spy on their enemies.But not everyone was eager to seek the help of psychics. Johnny Carson invited Uri Geller on The Tonight Show and it was a total disaster. Uri Geller could not perform his most basic tricks. What happened? Uri Geller says it was a hit job. To learn more about Uri Geller, check out The Secret Life of Uri Geller. It's a fascinating documentary.-------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/donateTheme music by The ChickenAdditional music by Podington Bear, Glad Rags, Blue Dot SessionsWritten and produced by Javier Leiva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices