One Valuable Lesson We All Missed In “The Tinder Swindler”

This film will make you second guess every single person who asks to borrow money from you and probably be a little more careful on dating apps. 

About the Documentary

“The Tinder Swindler” premiered on Netflix on February 2, 2022, and while the film was about two hours long, you would be taken on a wild ride as you watch the real-life events unfold from three women who led the path to justice. 

Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjöholm, and Ayleen Charlotte shared their stories in the documentary, recounting their experiences with the Tinder Swindler. It was sad to watch these women explaining how much love they had for the swindler with lit-up eyes, and then their expressions and demeanor completely changing as they continued to share their story. 

As you find out in the documentary, the Tinder Swindler went by many different names over the years, he was perhaps mostly known by the name Simon Leviev, though his birth name was Shimon Hayut. He built his character to have a falsified background of working in a dangerous diamond business and was identified as the fictitious son of billionaire Israeli “King of Diamonds” Lev Leviev – though you should know that LLD Diamonds seems to have no involvement with the con artist whatsoever. 

Initially, I expected it to be similar to the 2019 movie about Ted Bundy starring Zac Efron…in the regard that it was BASED ON A TRUE STORY, but oh my gosh they had actual audio, pictures, the real people that the Tinder Swindler went after. So in short…yes, you should watch it on Netflix.

This story is so horrible that you cannot believe it really happened and it’s impossible to take your eyes off the screen.

Who is the Tinder Swindler?

The Tinder Swindler was a professional con artist who targeted women on the dating app Tinder, and in total, he managed to con an approximate $10 million out of those he dated.

Born Shimon Hayut, he fled his home country of Israel back in 2011 to avoid fraud-related offenses that he committed in his early 20s. Hayut sought refuge in Finland, where he was sentenced to two years in a Finnish prison after three women presses charges against him for defrauding in 2015. 

When he returned to Israel in 2017, he rendezvoused in Europe to officially change his name to Simon Leviev and avoid another arrest. 

“The Tinder Swindler '' picks up at this point in Hayut’s life, with Fjellhøy recounting her experiences. 

One Thing To Take Away From The Documentary

The interviewer asked Cecilie Fjellhøy a question that I thought was interesting. She asked Fjellhøy if she has stayed off Tinder due to this bad experience, but she told the interviewer that she has frequented the dating app since then. Fjellhøy told the interviewer that it’s “not Tinder’s fault,” which I think is a valuable perspective to have in such a troubling situation.

Cecilie Fjellhøy, with this statement, proves the saying, “You have to love like you have never been hurt.” Fjellhøy is still suffering in her financial struggles caused by the Tinder Swindler, yet she was able to look forward and realize that her past may have brought her to where she is today, but the present is for her to reclaim so she can find the love that she has been looking for. 

I don’t want to spoil the documentary, as I think you have to see it for yourself, but be prepared to feel all kinds of emotions, especially if you have ever been cheated out of anything. 

You will see the crimes that the Tinder Swindler commits in the movie and just how manipulative he is, but I will tell you where the swindler is now.

Where is the Tinder Swindler now?

Leviev did get arrested, but he was only in jail for five months. Since his release, Leviev has been active on social media and posting updates constantly, and it doesn’t seem like he has any financial problems now. 

The three women in the documentary, however, do have a bit of a financial deficit, as they are still working to pay back the debt that Simon owes. Leviev has never been charged with defrauding them. 

Leviev was asked to take part in the documentary, but he refused, and initially resorted back to his active status on Tinder.

Don’t worry – the Tinder Swindler should never be able to strike again, at least not on Tinder. Simon is now officially banned from the dating app, as well as his known aliases.