PRESS PLAY
Join professional Private Investigator Mackenzie Fultz and Comedian Hanna Anderson each week as they delve deep into the stories of the liars, cheaters, and con-men who have left a trail of broken hearts and shattered trust in the dating world. We'll uncover the lies, scams and manipulations of these con artists, as we shine a light on the red flags to look out for in the wild west of the dating apps.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
First-person testimony and precise follow-up questions reveal how romantic trust can become the working machinery of manipulation, stalking, and fraud.
The Dating Detectives builds its cases from first-person accounts, giving guests room to reconstruct how troubling relationships changed over time.
A beach trip becomes a surveillance job; you get the stakeout without booking a hotel.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A hard relationship story with a hopeful ending, handled carefully and kept close to everyday life.
The Dating Detectives treats "The Suicide Plot" as a hard relationship story, shaped by religious trauma, miscarriage, mental health struggles, OCD, anorexia, suicidal ideation, and animal cruelty, but it points to a happy ending from the start.
A readable fraud story with warmth, curiosity, and enough grit to hold attention.
The episode gives a grim money story a steady, human guide. It keeps the mechanics of a Ponzi scheme legible without losing sight of the damage, and it moves through IRS scrutiny, the collapse, and the luxury spending with plain language and a few well-timed check-ins.
A relationship story that makes dating culture and social pressure feel like the point.
The episode takes a little while to find its shape, but that looseness gives the later material room to register. Once it settles, the most effective stretch is the one that treats the surprise as more than a joke: it follows the guest through dating several people, explains why…
A relationship-suspicion story that stays conversational while the PI details remain clear.
The Dating Detectives keeps the relationship-suspicion premise easy to track, and the PI work stays legible as it follows Jim and Melissa in Tallahassee, Florida, with two kids, a nail salon, and a planned girls' trip to Panama City Beach.
A story of persistent unwanted attention, gaslighting, and the point where self-doubt starts to crack.
The Dating Detectives follows a story of persistent unwanted attention and gaslighting as the guest tries to make sense of being told she was crazy.
A relationship story that begins softly and turns steadily alarming.
The episode tracks a relationship that begins in comfort and commitment, then grows more uneasy as money, bills, and future plans come into focus.
A relationship story about charm, silence, and the excuses that start to feel familiar.
The episode follows a relationship story about how a smooth beginning can make silence, apologies, and emotional fog easier to excuse. Kayla lays out the timeline in her own words, and that gives the conversation a clear spine: the early good moments felt real enough to keep…
Ira Glass frames weekly theme-driven segments spanning family secrets to Portland's protest conflict.
Shankar Vedantam unpacks the psychology behind relationships, careers, and money through researcher interviews.
David McRaney interviews researchers on cognitive bias, motivated reasoning, and why minds change.
Ryan Holiday pairs daily Stoic lessons with long-form guest conversations at his Texas bookstore.
NHPR's Jason Moon investigates the Bear Brook barrel murders and a New Hampshire wrongful-conviction case.
Russ Roberts interviews authors and economists on ideas from classical liberalism to AI.
This episode features an anonymized story about a significant professional and personal betrayal involving postpartum circumstances, presented as entertainment with a disclaimer about fictionalization.
This episode of Mackenzie Undercover features a fictionalized story called Operation Girls Trip, with special guest Griff Stark Ennis from the podcast Petty, discussing cases in an entertaining and conjectural manner.
This episode introduces a therapist's story about addiction and a secret plan, based on her book 'The Plan B Chronicles', with additional content available on Patreon and her YouTube channel.
This sequel episode continues the story of a divorce scam involving a Porsche and penthouse, featuring insights from a divorce attorney and her client.
This episode continues discussing a case involving a man named Dylan who allegedly love-bombed a woman during a vulnerable period related to her father's death and estate, while facing a two-million-dollar lawsuit.
This episode features an interview with private investigator Ken Childs about his undercover work on the Sunset Strip, focusing on celebrity cases and differences in PI approaches between California and Florida.
The hosts discuss listener reactions to a controversial episode about private investigators, emphasizing community support and creating a safe space for sharing personal struggles.
This episode previews the new true crime podcast 'Crimes Of', focusing on its first season 'Crimes Of Infamy', which explores the real-life events behind iconic horror movie villains.
The hosts discuss the success of Hannah's Don't Get Killed Club self-defense program and plans to expand it with a certified curriculum.
This episode explores a listener's personal story involving adoption trauma, biological ancestry, and a mysterious investigation into a family disappearance with emotional and protective elements.
This true crime podcast episode introduces a guest named Sydney to discuss a story about domestic violence and abusive relationships, framed as entertainment with disclaimers about anonymity and safety.
This episode explores complex, intertwined relationships and alleged toxic behavior within a vegan community, focusing on custody issues and interpersonal drama.
The hosts introduce a guest named Tracy who will share a story about a con man in Australia, while expressing gratitude to their community and promoting their Patreon.
This episode introduces a series on the 'Cult of the Twitter Vegan' with a disclaimer about fictionalized content, while also discussing the hosts' personal updates and a self-defense club event in LA.
This episode discusses a crypto catfish story to empower listeners to trust their intuition and leave relationships with red flags.
This episode features guest Talia Koren from the Dating Intentionally podcast discussing a Mackenzie Undercover story and providing practical dating advice.
The hosts introduce a true crime-style episode about a fictionalized domestic violence case while addressing technical issues from a previous episode and thanking listeners for their patience.
This episode continues the investigation into a scam where a man claiming to be a supernatural healer manipulated a woman through spiritual wellness practices, leading to tragic medical consequences.
This episode features siblings Rob and Laura discussing their father's involvement in a complex financial abuse and deception case that affected their entire family.
This episode explores a fictionalized mind control romance story with a guest from the UK, emphasizing entertainment and safety disclaimers.
The hosts introduce a two-part episode featuring guest Claire, discussing a heavy story about dogfish taking advantage of vulnerable individuals in dating contexts.
This episode features a personal story from Kayla about her HR nightmare and mental health struggles, shared to help others feel less alone.
This episode continues a story about a workplace and personal relationship involving manipulation and mental health issues, with trigger warnings for sensitive content.
This episode presents a fictionalized story about a Turkish rug pull involving revenge, with disclaimers about anonymity and entertainment purposes.
This episode introduces a true crime story about a scam artist in the show dog world, dubbed a 'show dogfish', who deceives people in dating scenarios.
This episode introduces a fictionalized true crime story about a surrogate scandal while thanking listeners for support and promoting Patreon benefits.
This episode features a guest sharing her personal story of surviving an abusive relationship, with the hosts emphasizing its relatability and the importance of staying vigilant while living life fully.
This episode introduces a story about a mobster and domestic violence with trigger warnings for sensitive topics like body shame and breast cancer.
This episode explores how past experiences, particularly childhood trauma, shape adult relationships through a fictionalized story about falling for a fugitive, with a focus on entertainment and conjecture rather than definitive truths.
This episode features an interview with Brandy, a private investigator and friend of the hosts, who shares an undercover story while discussing community support and listener engagement.
This episode features Ken, a returning guest who shares three stories as a private investigator, presented with anonymized details for entertainment and safety.
This episode continues a true crime narrative about a stepmom named Phyllis who deceived her family for years, leading to a divorce after the children revealed the truth.
This episode discusses a story about an evil stepmother and how to handle similar situations involving abusive relationships and parental involvement.
The hosts promote their Patreon tiers for bonus content and community support while hinting at an upcoming serious discussion.
This episode features a story about a demonic dogfish with satanic elements, physical violence, and revenge porn, followed by a debrief discussion on lessons learned.
This true crime podcast episode continues a fictionalized story about a woman named Abby who meets a man named Peter in college, who claims to have multiple personality disorder, raising suspicions about psychological manipulation in their relationship.
This episode continues the story of a scam involving a man deceiving multiple women, focusing on Layla's experiences and her connection with a previous guest, Allison.
This episode continues a narrative about a woman who meets a therapist/EMT at a crisis center, builds trust over two years, and faces a concerning situation when he requests a loan.
This episode introduces a two-part story about a dangerous cancer healing scam involving spiritual manipulation and abuse, featuring guests Tessa and Lena.
This episode introduces a fun undercover story featuring private investigator Helen, discussing the importance of matching the right PI to a case based on factors like gender.
This episode continues the story of Claire's whirlwind relationship with Ryan, picking up where part one left off with a call about his heart attack and other medical issues.
Diana, a former paralegal, private investigator and current mystery writer, tells The Dating Detectives that her daughter Sophie, 31, is in an ongoing relationship with Mark, a bartender who avoided meeting her at two events.
The hosts recap a victim's story of escaping a cult and entering a marriage that turns abusive, setting up part two of the investigation.
The hosts introduce a new story about a dating scam, express gratitude to listeners, and invite audience submissions.
The Dating Detectives hosts present The Suicide Plot, a listener-submitted story with a happy ending in which a woman describes a relationship that included religious trauma, a miscarriage, mental health manipulation involving OCD and anorexia, suicidal ideation, and animal cruelty.
In part two of Andrea's story, hosts Hannah and Molly continue the account of how Andrea's husband confessed to running a Ponzi scheme through his financial advisory firm, Market Street Advisors, and simultaneously revealed he had hired call girls during his business travels.
Andrea Merriman, a 22-year-old BYU student raised in the LDS church, married a charismatic fellow student after a whirlwind four-month courtship despite consistent gut feelings telling her to walk away.
The Dating Detectives podcast hosts Mackenzie (a private investigator) and Hannah welcome guest Austin, a Texas-based PI with nine years of experience spanning family law, criminal defense, and insurance fraud.
The Dating Detectives hosts interview a guest named Harper, who recounts a decade-old story of meeting a fellow art student named Charlie at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, initially mistaking his escalating presence around her dorm and social events as socially awkward flirtation before recognizing a pattern of stalking behavior that eventually led to a violent incident.
Sandra, a licensed counselor, met Jacob, an EMT, at a 24-hour crisis center in 2019 and developed a friendship during COVID that turned romantic after 18 months.
Hosts of The Dating Detectives introduce a new bonus episode in their examination of dangerous relationships, covering a case they call The Mile High Manipulator, in which a woman describes her experience with a man who used romantic relationships to systematically exploit and control her in ways she initially did not recognize as abuse.
Hosts discuss a lighter episode with a palate cleanser, undercover segment, and merch announcement, focusing on dating scams and red flags.
The hosts celebrate their two-year podcast anniversary and reflect on the show's evolution, introducing their mission to expose dating fraud.
The hosts introduce a new episode about dating scams and discuss listener stories about workplace 'dogfish' behavior.
A podcast investigating dating scams and con artists, with hosts analyzing a case of a trucker who fakes cancer and borrows money.
The hosts introduce the show's focus on exposing dating scams and con artists, with a birthday anecdote and sponsor ads.
The hosts introduce a collaboration with the Nobody Should Believe Me podcast, discussing Munchausen and Munchausen by proxy in the context of dating scams.
The hosts introduce a guest who shares her story about being deceived in a dating scam, with a focus on uncovering lies and red flags.