Imagine using a dating app and swiping right into a financial nightmare. That is exactly what happens to the women featured in the latest well-received documentary, The Tinder Swindler. From Felicity Morris, maker of fellow Netflix hot-doc Don’t F**k With Cats, comes an engaging tale of one of the many dangers associated with online dating.
Unlike many true-crime documentaries that teeter between a distressing tale and entertainment, this film switches it up by having sensitivity take center stage. Instead of focusing on the criminal, the victims take and thrive in the spotlight.
“It was horrible, ya know? ‘Cause in a sense, I still loved him, … I don’t understand how someone can be so evil,” Cecilie Fjellhoy proclaimed in an emotional moment while sharing her story in regards to being a victim of love fraud. Originally from Oslo, Norway and residing in London, England, she was defrauded for over $250,000 USD. She was one of countless individuals scammed through the nefarious social pariah called Simon Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Hayut.
Hayut is an Israel-born fraudster now-infamous for his use of romance scams, having been convicted for the same actions that are portrayed in the documentary. With the three featured women and countless other individuals, Hayut is reported to have swindled over $10 million USD. One of his many aliases was the alleged son and heir to LLD Diamonds, a multi-billion dollar diamond company owned by the real Leviev family. Hayut dubbed himself the “Prince of Diamonds.”
His intricate weaved lies pulled these three women and countless others into false senses of security. He slowly laid out the intricate roadwork for his scams, showcasing his luxury lifestyle and going on intimate outings with the women, going as far as sleeping with and developing ‘serious’ relationships with them. Hayut would up the ante with lies about “enemies” looking to harm him (who in reality were the authorities) and even sending photos of him and his “bodyguard” Peter being allegedly assaulted to bring his stories to life.
Two other women are featured in the documentary. Pernilla Sjoholm of Sweden maintained a platonic relationship with Hayut, yet still managed to be conned out of over $30,000 USD. Ayleen Charlotte had maintained what she believed to be a serious long term relationship with Hayut for fourteen months and had parted with nearly $140,000 USD.
It felt more like a movie than a documentary, which is a huge engagement factor. The production quality was top tier and played like a big screen feature. The first two minutes of the hour and fifty-one minutes felt like a film trailer within itself, engaging and thrilling. The sound design was exquisitely detailed, with the music pulling just the right emotions from viewers: happiness, sadness, even suspense.
Several stand out moments added to the film’s appeal. Sjoholm, once cognisant of being conned, reported the events to a team of skilled reporters affiliated with Norway’s largest news outlet, the VG. This team then released a highly stylized article in 2019 detailing his crimes against these women and past criminal conviction for fraud of this same nature, putting Hayut in the spotlight and ultimately stopping his stream of scams in their tracks.
Upon reading the article Charlotte convinced Hayut to send her a plethora of his designer belongings following his identity being revealed by the VG article, which kept him from continuing his con streak and placed him in a series of hostels on the run from authorities . Instead of sending him the promised profits, she pocketed them for herself. The Swindler was ultimately swindled.
Even after being used and financially abused, one of the most refreshing aspects was that these women refused to give up on finding love. Fjellhoy began using Tinder almost immediately following the initial article interview, as did Sjoholm.
It takes courage for the victims to have spoken out. “I don’t really want to share this story,” stated Fjellhoy in her VG interview. Upon attempting to reach out to their local police for assistance, the women were brushed under the rug as crimes of this nature did not seem to be a big enough fish for the authorities to fry. “All we want are our lives back,” stated each woman.
The grueling reality of public ridicule is showcased, with social media blowing up with responses to the documentary. Some users went as far as to say the women were “gold diggers” that deserved the consequences. On the other hand, the majority of people were in support of the women, dubbing them “courageous” and “ballsy” for taking the initiative to speak out instead of staying in the fear of silence.
Netflix is full of documentaries of all kinds, ranging from brilliant to less than lackluster. However, The Tinder Swindler entralls and engages, leaving you satisfied yet wanting more. The conclusion leaves some unanswered questions as Hayut returns to his old lifestyle prior to being released after his arrest near the end.
Reality does not always have a happy ending. If there is one major takeaway from this film, it’s to be wary of those you meet on social media and don’t let yourself become an ATM for a stranger because you never really know anyone.
