In February 2022, Netflix released a brand new two-hour documentary titled ‘The Tinder Swindler’. Directed by Felicity Morris, the documentary follows the stories of three victims of the alleged ‘tinder swindler’. Hiding behind the pseudonym ‘Simon Leviev’, Shimon Yehuda Hayut used tinder as a means to swindle numerous women out of millions of dollars. Cecilie Fjellhoy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte, the women the documentary focuses on, were collectively scammed out of thousands of dollars and are now sharing their stories in the hopes of raising awareness and preventing Leviev from committing this almost unbelievable crime again.
It all started with a simple match on Tinder, and before Cecilie knew it she was on a private jet being wined and dined by the handsome and charming Simon. The stories of Pernilla and Ayleen follow an almost identical narrative. Simon was the perfect man: wealthy, kind, personable; the kind of boyfriend reserved for fairytales. The son of the “king of diamonds” and the heir to the multi-million dollar company LLD Diamonds, Simon sold the dream and convinced these innocent women that they would have a life together.
For a month or so this was true, and despite his arguably shady behaviour, Simon appeared the perfect partner. He sent flowers, “good morning” texts and even went as far as asking to move in with his victims. However, as Cecilie notes in the documentary, everything changed when Simon’s so-called ‘enemies’ forced him to have to stop using his bank cards in order to ensure his and his team’s security.
The same story was fed to these multiple women and they felt they had no other choice but to help Simon in his desperate times of need. It started with asking to borrow credit cards, to ask the women to fly thousands of miles to bring him cash. Eventually, Simon was asking for thousands of dollars from these women weekly all in the name of ensuring his safety.
Before they knew it, Cecilie, Pernilla and Ayleen had been conned out of thousands of dollars and the cheques Simon was offering to reimburse them were not going through. Facing a never-ending ambush of notices from her bank, Cecilie felt she had no choice but to contact American Express and explain her situation. It was at this meeting the following day Simon’s true identity was revealed to her: he was the tinder swindler.
Cecilie and Pernilla were able to connect through social media and reveal to each other their almost identical experiences with Simon Leviev; together vowing to raise awareness of the true frightening nature of Leviev. Pernilla and Cecilie remain besties even now, and all of the women involved in the documentary are advocating to see Leviev behind bars.
This is perhaps the saddest part of the story: Leviev was sentenced to a mere fifteen months in Israeli prison for his crimes and due to good behaviour was released after only five. It seems absurd that after committing these awful crimes and subjecting these innocent women to such anxiety and fear that Leviev now walks a free man.
In the wake of the documentary, Cecilie, Ayleen and Pernilla, as well as Simon Leviev himself have been seen on television interviews around the globe presenting their sides of the narrative. In an exclusive interview with Inside Edition, Leviev protests his innocence stating that he does not feel bad for the women he swindled because the story is not true. He proclaims that he is a legitimate businessman and, when asked how he funds his lavish lifestyle, he credits Bitcoin with his success.
The interview also sees the introduction of his new girlfriend, Kate Konlin, a model from Israel. When asked if Simon has ever asked to borrow money from her she laughs off the comment. It is unfathomable to me that Leviev has managed to convince even more women of his lies and is still enjoying the luxurious lifestyle he previously had.
The 31-year-old has even gone on to land himself a talent agent in the wake of the documentary. It has been noted that Simon is not phased by the documentary and sees it as an opportunity to further his career with his LA agent stating he hopes to land a show like ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ in the near future. It appears Leviev is profiting from his newfound ‘fame’, with reports noting that he is charging $20,000 dollars for club appearances.
Since the documentary’s release, a Go Fund Me page has been set up for the victims of the tinder swindler, and they have already raised over £100,000, not even close to the amount of money they are owed, but it is certainly a start. At the end of the documentary, Cecilie is asked whether the experience has put her off Tinder forever, she laughs telling the interviewer she has already been back on the app. It is nice to know that these women have not been put off dating for life, however, it seems undeniable that the girls will have to deal with severe trust issues in their future relationships.
From a young age, we have been informed of the dangers of the internet, but I feel that this documentary was a real wake up call to the extent of damage that can be done online. Following the documentary, Leviev has been banned from dating apps such as Tinder, but he is certainly not the only person that we need to look out for on these types of apps.
It is so important to always do as deep a background check on a person as you can before engaging with them on the internet. If you are hoping to meet up, it could perhaps be a good idea to arrange a meeting in a public setting or even as a group so that you could bring along some friends. The documentary has shown me that people have the ability to lie better than I ever could. I guess it is just important to always listen to your gut and if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
If you haven’t watched the documentary yet, I highly recommend it! The story is almost too unbelievable to be true and I was engrossed the entire time! It really makes you question just how much we can trust these dating apps and social media in general, it is perhaps a reminder that not everything is as it appears online. The Tinder Swindler now streaming on Netflix is a must-watch!
Words by: Molly Bates
Edited by: Dasha Pitts-Yushchenko