Netflix’s latest true-crime documentary, “The Tinder Swindler”, highlights the dangers of swiping right on dating apps and the vulnerabilities of trusting people you meet online.
It has remained on the top 10 list of most-watched films since its debut on Feb 2, having been viewed for over 45 million hours in its first week of release.
The buzz behind who the Tinder Swindler is, and what he did, continues to spread across the internet. Between 2017 and 2019, he went by the name Simon Leviev on the popular dating app, and lured women with photos depicting an extravagant lifestyle, showcasing his supposed wealth.
Unbeknownst to them, Leviev was really an Israeli man named Shimon Hayut who had previously been convicted for fraud in 2015.
Hayut, as Simon, claimed to be the son of Lev Leviev, a diamond mogul and philanthropist with a net worth of over US$1 billion. He would convince women into going out with him, showering them with lavish meals and gifts, and even bringing them onto a private jet acquired from his other victims.
He would then fake being stabbed, claiming to be a target of “enemies”, and beg the women to lend him money so he could get out of his troubles.
Once he had their cash, he would disappear and never pay them back, using the funds to lure his next victims.
Through personal interviews and reenactments, three of his targets – Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjöholm, and Ayleen Charlotte – talk about their encounters with the swindler, bringing viewers along on a journey rife with deception, manipulation, and financial and emotional ruin.
The story begins with Fjellhøy, a serial dater who describes herself as a “Tinder expert”. She shares how Simon Leviev would send her bouquets of roses and fly in to visit her in Oslo. He even asked her to move in with him.
When she was well ensnared in Leviev’s world, he sent her a photo and video of him and his bodyguard bloodied after being attacked, turning to her for help to pay off his adversaries.
Chillingly, Fjellhøy reveals how she had even Googled “Simon Leviev” to see if he was who he claimed to be, as “that is what you are supposed to do when you match with someone”.
She says she found him to be genuine, his identity further confirmed by an Instagram account.
Leviev’s next victim, Sjöholm, did not fall for him romantically but they became friends. She even followed him and his girlfriend at the time around Europe.
He then did the same to Sjöholm as he did to Fjellhøy.
As for Charlotte, she did end up in a relationship with him, only to learn of his exploits through a newspaper article. Bent on revenge, she beat Leviev at his own game by scamming him right back, and also played an integral role in helping police track him down.
“The Tinder Swindler” does a good job of showing the consequences of living life online and how, despite one’s best efforts at being cautious, it is possible to be deceived.
Voice notes and videos by Leviev, retrieved from the women’s archives, document just how much of an “artist” Shimon Hayut truly is.
Despite Leviev being at the centre of events, director Felicity Morris chooses to tell the women’s stories instead of zooming in on the conman himself and his tactics.
Their personal losses are at the fore – their struggles after being duped, how they get out of debt after helping him, and how they try to heal financially and emotionally.
Satisfyingly, the film also shows how Fjellhøy and Sjöholm joined forces to expose the swindler in “Verdes Gang”, a Norwegian newspaper.
“The Tinder Swindler” ends with the three women sharing their delight over Hayut’s arrest in June 2019. He was sentenced in December that year to 15 months in prison for theft, fraud and forgery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R3LWM_Vt70&ab_channel=Netflix
However, a final montage shows that, just five months after being sentenced, he was released on good behaviour and is currently a free man.
Hayut reportedly returned to Tinder upon his release, but has since been banned from the platform.
Banned or not, this true-crime documentary will definitely scare some users off dating apps for life!
‘The Tinder Swindler’ is streaming on Netflix.