Right Swipe Horror! Tinder Swindler Proves If Something's Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is!

True crime documentaries have piqued the interests of a lot of people. The fact that they are explosive and investigative in nature can keep audiences engaged till the very end of their run.?

Netflix’s ‘The Tinder Swindler’ too exposes the dark side of dating apps and meeting people by just connecting with them online.?

Dating apps have been around for almost a decade now and some people have had their happily ever after. But for a vast majority of women, these dating apps have proven to be anything but a dream come true.

?While, we can’t speak for all women, the three women on ‘ The Tinder Swindler’ certainly didn’t have it easy.

The Tinder Swindler | Stock Image

In the documentary three women, who met the ‘The Tinder Swindler’ Simon Leviev on Tinder dates, were scammed out of 10 million dollars. These women claimed that they fell for his jet-setting lifestyle and the fact that he knew how to lead a ‘fancy life’.?

The first woman mentions how she was invited to a 5-star hotel by Simon on their first date in London and he also took her on his private jet the very same evening. He claimed that he was a diamond merchant and that certain sections of the society were out to get him. He cooked up the perfect story of being a victim of hate and that his credit cards were locked and expected the women to bail him out. The first victim lent him approx 250,000 dollars.?

The second woman wasn’t romantically involved with him yet he borrowed money from her and also took her on a vacation across Europe with a supposed ‘girlfriend’. It seemed clear from the word go that this man was a con man and a scamster.?

The third woman turned out to be the smart cookie who found a way to get back her money.?

The three women at some point met and they helped the journalists and policemen nab him. Being an Israeli citizen, he was arrested and deported to Israel, where he was tried for forged passports and sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment. It is then we find that Simon Leviev is actually Shimon Hayut, living in a modest housing facility in Israel.

The Tinder Swindler | AFP

The documentary puts a lot of focus on how appearances can indeed be deceptive and how women must be on their guard and safeguard themselves from con men they might encounter on dating apps. Whilst, this isn’t the first time such a scam has been carried out it may not be the last either.?

Simon aka Shimon was released from prison after serving barely 5 months of his sentence. He continues to lead the same jet-setting life and is dating an Israeli model. He has been banned permanently on the dating app Tinder, as this incident definitely did cause a PR nightmare for them.??

He has been banned from other dating apps and his account has been suspended on Instagram as well.? The women have raised a fundraiser so as to get back the money they were swindled out of.?

Tinder swindler | Netflix

While, we sympathise with the victims of this kind of an elaborate scam, there are few situations that did raise our suspicions

- Why did the first woman agree to meet Simon in the lobby of a 5-star hotel on their first date? How did she not find anything fishy about the fact that the mother of his daughter would be accompanying them on their plane ride?

- How did the first woman get loans from banks so easily, without having so much as to break a sweat while acquiring those?

- How did the second woman accompany a man and his girlfriend on their vacation together and not wonder that if this man is indeed a businessman, why isn’t he working?

- Who was the woman who he claimed to be the mother of his child and what was she doing on his date? Was she an accomplice? Was the daughter really his?

Simon Leviev aka Shimon Hayut has now threatened Netflix with a lawsuit. We only hope that this documentary and incident serves as a deterrent for all those who want to carry on a con at the expense of other peoples’ lives and money.?