From cult leaders to con artists and undercover FBI agents, PRETEND exposes those pretending to be someone they're not.

The story isn’t over. In Part 2, we dig deeper into the chaos that followed Laura Owens’ accusations against Bachelor star Clayton Echard.



Internet sleuths start pulling court records, police reports, and medical documents. Their findings are wild — fake identities, stolen ultrasounds, and a pregnancy that might never have happened.



Laura pushes back. She sues YouTuber Dave Neal and threatens to sue other podcasters for even discussing the case. In court, she testifies under oath. But her story keeps falling apart.



This episode exposes the internet’s role in fighting back, not with conspiracy theories, but with receipts.



Credits:

Hosted, Produced: Javier Leiva

Written by: Mackenzie Aimes





References:

⁠https://allthebestresearch.com⁠ 





 Dave Neal's YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@davenealcomedian?si=buUz1EGyODwQ6aGv⁠

https://justiceforclayton.com/wiki/index.php/Laura_Michelle_Owens_-_Court_Case_History

https://www.reddit.com/r/JusticeForClayton/

https://victimsoflauraowens.com/coverage/


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PRETEND

The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 2

After a one-night hookup with a fan-turned-client, former Bachelor star Clayton Echard faced an unexpected legal battle — and public accusations that threatened to ruin his life.
In this episode, we unpack the early timeline of Clayton’s explosive case with Laura Michelle Owens, who claimed she was pregnant with his twins… despite his insistence they never had sex.

But Clayton wasn’t her first target. When no one else believed him, the internet showed up and started pulling Laura’s story apart.



Stayed tuned for part 2 and 3 of the "Internet Saves the Bachelor." Be the first to listen on Patreon and PRETEND+ on Apple Podcast.



Credits:

Hosted, Produced: Javier Leiva

Written by: Mackenzie Aimes

Additional Reporting: The Dating Detectives Podcast



References:

https://allthebestresearch.com 



 Dave Neal's YouTube: https://youtube.com/@davenealcomedian?si=buUz1EGyODwQ6aGv

https://justiceforclayton.com/wiki/index.php/Laura_Michelle_Owens_-_Court_Case_History

https://www.reddit.com/r/JusticeForClayton/

https://victimsoflauraowens.com/coverage/


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 1

In this episode of PRETEND, recorded live at the GISEC cybersecurity conference in Dubai, I spoke with Hieu Minh Ngo, once one of the most prolific identity thieves in the world. 

Operating out of Vietnam, Hieu stole and sold personal data on over 200 million Americans. We're talking names, birth dates, Social Security numbers—everything you’d need to become someone else.

But he didn’t hack his way in. Instead, he used open-source intelligence and even impersonated a private investigator to gain legal access to massive data broker networks.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Man Who Stole 200 Million Identities

While speaking at a hacker conference in Dubai, Javier revisits a conversation with professional pickpocket and entertainer James Freedman. James reveals how a childhood scuffle led to a lifelong obsession with the art of pickpocketing, evolving from swiping coins to mastering social engineering and even digital fraud.



🔗 Listen to Part 2Click here for The Digital Pickpocket, Part 2 →

💬 Connect with Javier on social
Instagram/Twitter/TikTok: @pretendpod

🛡 Stay safe:
Learn how to defend yourself against modern pickpockets — both analog and digital.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creative Babble

PRETEND by Creative Babble

Episodes