The Tinder Swindler: A True Story Built on Lies

Three women unite

I watched The Tinder Swindler last night on Netflix, and what a rollercoaster ride it was! In this film review, I will tell you why this is one movie you cannot miss.

This documentary tells the real-life story of a fraud who swindles three women over the course of the film. In his life, he has defrauded countless others. However, his latest con lies in pretending to be the son of a diamond mogul.

The film starts off innocuously enough, with a pretty blonde Norwegian girl, Cecilie, blabbing on about her idea of a fairy tale romance. She seems to be a serial Tinder user, and on one such occasion she came across Simon Leviev. So begins the deep dive into her whirlwind romance, being defrauded, and seeing how Simon manages to do the same to countless others. Two other are particularly highlighted, Pernilla and Ayanne.

The film is deftly directed by Felicity Morris, and at times plays out like a thriller, a horror and a romance. What I compliment the film on is allowing these women to come forward and tell their story rather than victim blaming them as much of the online community did when they spoke out in the press. What is astounding is the level of Simon’s Ponzi schemes, how he has been wanted for fraudulent behaviour in the past, but he manages to flee and come out on top in every case.

Simon does a good job of convincing the women he meets that he is an affluent heir to a diamond empire- wining and dining them like there’s no tomorrow. Clad in his designer duds, he flies them on private jets and treats them like queens. He convinces them of his devotion and when they fall for him, his trap starts. He claims to be in danger and starts asking them to loan him money as he cannot access his accounts. In this way he cheats them out of millions of dollars. Further down the line the viewer discovers Simon is not the heir he claims to be (big surprise lol) and is a convicted conman named Shimon Hayut.

Shimon aka Simon
Personifying a dapper heir, he was anything but

The entire documentary unravels in a fascinating way and you can’t help but feel for these women who have been swindled for large sums of money. Not only his paramours, but Pernilla, who was only his friend, have fallen victim to his deception. I cheered when Ayanne discovered the truth and instead of going to the police with his locations she swindles him- by taking suitcases filled with his designer clothes and selling them off! It is also heartening that Cecilie and Pernilla became lifelong friends through the process, who still spend time together.

While this documentary serves as a reminder that living your life online can be quite dangerous, it also showcases the power of spreading information online. By publishing their story (which went viral) these women are trying to ensure the next time you google your tinder date, and he’s anything like Simon, the truth is out there. The sad reality however, is that justice is not truly served. Simon currently is a free man living his dreams out in Israel. Seemingly free from financial woes, he is now even dating a model while these women are still paying off their debts.

While arrested, he was soon out
While arrested, he was soon out

The scale of what Simon pulls off is horrifying but makes for an intriguing documentary. My Netflix reviews are often a mixed bunch but with this outing, Netflix has made a gripping film that will keep you captivated from the start. This movie reviewer says this is definitely worth watching.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration.’ For more of my movie reviews click here, or for tv reviews here

55 thoughts on “The Tinder Swindler: A True Story Built on Lies

  1. Varsh says:

    Such horrifying cases aren’t rare but not reported enough. I’m intrigued to check out this movie now only to see how the women bravely handle this terrible situation they find themselves in.

  2. Swati Mathur says:

    It some how reminds me of a hindi movie Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. It is on a similar lines. getting away after committing horrendous crime due to legal loopholes is disheartening. would love to watch .

  3. Sonia Dogra says:

    Oh my! This is eye opening. I know online isn’t a safe place but these kind of things leave you horrified. Thank you for bringing this to our notice and let me check out this documentary.

  4. Kaveri Chhetri says:

    I was not aware what this movie was till l I read your review… thank you for it. it’sis a kind of an eye opener for many who get into such troubles.. I have seen people who are otherwise intelligent n worldly falling for such online scams(if I can call it that).

  5. Harjeet Kaur says:

    Awesome review my dear. I already saved the name. It is a must-watch for all women to be warned of such swashbuckling swindlers. Women get swayed so easily by a rich gallant man.I am watching it today…thank u for sharing such an awesome review

  6. Pooja Jha says:

    While I was writing a post for my blog, my husband had watched this movie and suggested me too to watch, now that I got some time and after reading this review I am going watch the movie for sure, Thank you for the review and recommendation. 🙂

  7. Raghav Dudeja says:

    There’s a definite need for blogs like these amidst content overload on OTT platforms. Would also check other blogposts so that I don’t spend time thinking what to watch next.

  8. Vasumathi says:

    This is so my kind of watch. I am surprised though that I have not seen it on my feed till now. Definitely pinning this for next in queue after my current watch. Thanks for the suggestion and a great review!

  9. Pingback: The Fame Game: Reel vs Real mix in this thriller - MEETALI KUTTY

  10. Noor Anand Chawla says:

    It’s on my list of things to watch! After finishing ‘Inventing Anna’, I have an idea for an article, and ‘Tinder Swindler’ definitely ties in!

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