The Tinder Swindler is a cult British true crime documentary film, produced by Raw TV, and released on Netflix on the 2nd February 2022, that tells the story of Simon Leviev, an Israeli conman who used Tinder the dating app, to fund a lucrative and lavish lifestyle by connecting with and grooming the ladies he met online into financially supporting him, to escape his supposed enemies.
The film, directed by Felicity Morris, has a storyline about Israeli national Shimon Hayut, who travels around Europe posing as Simon Leviev, the son of multi billionaire Russian-Israeli businessman Lev Leviev, who had made his fortune from the diamond trade.
The film has been headline news in the UK and abroad now since its launch and has been well received by critics, it clocked up more than 45 million hours of viewing in its first week from the 31st January until the 6th February and went straight into the top 10 on Netflix in 92 countries around the world and was therefore popularly acclaimed globally.
In the UK, Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian gave the film 4/5 stars, saying ‘The Tinder Swindler is snappy and smart and leaves you wanting more, rather than scraping the barrel for every possible angle’. Kind and encouraging words indeed for such a niche subject of online dating fraud.
The Independent followed suit with their writer Ed Cumming also rating it as a 4/5, his review read ‘Despite the great yarn at its centre, the film sometimes lapses into the self indulgence common to so many modern documentaries, with endless shadowy reconstructions and a heart tugging soundtrack’. But his 4/5 rating was overall highly encouraging.
The Times also rated it as 4/5 stars, with Kevin Maher, the Film Critic, describing it as ‘the Jaws of internet dating documentaries’ and added “It is so visceral, propulsive and alarming that the prospect of online dating after the Tinder Swindler might seem very foolhardy indeed’. High praise therefore from ‘the thunderer’.
Globally on www.rottentomatoes.com, The Tinder Swindler does even better with an approval rating of 96% based on 24 reviews, with an average approval rating of 7.5/10 although Brian Lowry for CNN was harsher and wrote ‘Combining the qualities of a lifetime movie with a catchy title, the marketable elements scarcely mask that the story is actually kind of a bore’ but he stands alone with his criticism.
Despite the accusation that he swindled $10 million globally, the subject of the movie Simon Leviev (real name Shimon Hayut), is understandably quick to defend himself and his reputation and claims that the Netflix adaptation is ‘like a made up movie’. Leviev also claims that ‘I am just a single guy who wanted to meet some girls on Tinder, I am not a Tinder Swindler’. He continues ‘I am the biggest gentleman in the world. They call me the Tinder Swindler but I am not a fraud and I am not a fake”. The ladies involved with him in the film I am certain would agree to differ with that plea.
He has done pretty well out of his notoriety so far he has featured in many national newspapers in the UK, The Sun, The Scotsman, The Daily Mail, Wales Online plus GQ, Inside Edition and Esquire magazines and he still argues his innocence. He is currently seeking $20,000 per engagement for nightclub appearances and has now appointed Gina Rodriguez as his Publicity Agent. He has also been signed by a Talent Agency and now has high hopes of cracking Hollywood.
The truth is he was arrested however and spent time in jail in Israel on the back of the protestations of the 3 victims portrayed in the movie Cecilie, Pernilla and Ayleen, other alleged victims have filed lawsuits against him too, although these have not gone anywhere as yet. It is also claimed that he continued to threaten Pernilla from his prison cell, so people need to draw their own conclusions on whether or not he is dangerous and whether it might be best to avoid him. Let the romance surrounding Simon, seduce you into thinking about him in any other way at your peril, as hundreds of women potentially have already.
Unhappily Simon Leviev is not alone and is one of many other fraudsters operating in the UK and overseas. Online dating fraud, which incorporates dating apps as well as traditional online dating sites, is one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK and more than £100,000,000 was misappropriated in 2021 ($300,000,000 in the USA) and it appears to be growing exponentially in recent years.
Interestingly you may feel that the victims of scamming would be more likely to be women, but if you think that you’d be wrong as it’s actually slightly more men than women who fall victim to scammers and fraudsters with 54% men to 46% women becoming involved.
So how do we stop these shocking statistics and ensure that we are as safe as we can be online – well you may be surprised to know that there are some simple steps we can take to ensure that we don’t fall victim to these people. Here we look at 15 simple steps that you could take to remain safe when you are choosing a dating app, online site or traditional personal matchmaking company, prior to meeting potential new partners:
Choose a reputable agency, someone big enough to have significant choice within their database but small enough to be able to provide adequate protection to you by carefully checking people out and vetting them before they meet you. You are unlikely to get this from big online agencies such as Match.com, eHarmony, Zoosk, Elite Singles etc and certainly not from those who don’t charge for their services like Plenty of Fish – they are quite simply too big and impersonal.
Visit their office if possible and most genuine companies will allow this if asked, even welcome it. Have a look at their systems and meet the team, so you can evaluate the quality of the service that they provide and whether or not you feel comfortable with what’s on offer. So always ask the question, is the office central and can I visit it?
Alternatively will they come to you if you are busy or find travelling difficult? Would someone be prepared to come to your home where you are at your most comfortable? Also ask will I get the same standard of service if they do? What happens if I’m in a remote area of the country? If the answer is yes we can do that, it would be likely that you’re dealing with a very reputable agency.
Check out what support is available and what you should expect as a member. Is their a dating coach you could seek advice from, do you work with your own matchmaker and can you meet them prior to joining? Do you get an interview and how in depth is it? Do they build a professional profile for you or do you have to do that for yourself like almost every online dating site or app? If you have to do all of the work and you’re on your own, then we’d say definitely steer clear.
You could also ask, what sort of interview am I offered? Do I sit with someone and have an in depth meeting? What sort of questions are covered? If I have a profile produced, can I read it first and approve it before signing it off? Does it include photos? And can I rely on the photos of my potential partners being recent and accurate too?
Are your dates carefully checked out for you? Has everybody been met and interviewed? Can the agency tell you ‘yes we have seen their passport or driving license and we know they are 100% genuine and who they say they are’.
Have they paid a fee to join? One of the best ways of ensuring that someone is genuinely looking is to see if they have paid for their membership and that the cost has been at a reasonable level to ensure they are serious about finding a partner. Players and people not seriously looking for a long term relationship, rarely pay and if they do, it won’t be much.
Has anyone checked out whether or not my potential matches have been to prison or been convicted for previous scams or fraud? Even worse have they been convicted for violence or even murder? This should be a fundamental part of any dating service – sadly it hardly ever is.
Is my date solvent and looking for someone who genuinely wants to find a partner to fall in love with, not for a roof over their head or a future meal ticket. Have they got assets, a home and are employed? These days many of us have lovely homes and significant levels of assets, please don’t ever all them to be placed in jeopardy.
On what basis am I matched? Is it just on age and geography and that I am likely to be served up with every match that qualifies? In other words a blanket approach or do I have access to a Personal Matchmaker and someone who matches me according to my personality and preferred characteristics?
Am I matched on a ‘one at a time basis’? Or are my potential dates seeing others at the same time and will be off as soon as they think they may have a better offer? If your preference would be to genuinely evaluate all of your dates, to give every one a chance to blossom and develop, then stick out for that and don’t compromise? Chemistry can strike in unusual places sometimes and just when you least expected it and so be open minded and not rigid in your expectations.
Can I freeze my membership whilst I am dating, so I can genuinely take my time and get to know someone before I make up my mind about them. As I would like to make the most of being a member and being open to advice from my matchmaker or Dating Coach if included.
Is there a guarantee? Will I get a guaranteed number of quality people forwarded to me to consider or is there a guaranteed number of matches or dates? If so can I know the numbers involved and how it will work for me?
Is there a choice of memberships and costs? Can I tailor the cost to my available budget? What about timescales, can I choose how long to be a member for? Could I extend it if needs be? Can I also guarantee priority and access quickly to new members? Or will it just be a fixed term with limited choice?
How confidential is the service? For people in high profile positions or careers, then privacy is terribly important. So will my photograph and personal details be on a busy internet site, where friends, family, neighbours or work colleagues could see me accidentally? Or will I be protected from this if I request that?
Would you like to know more about how best to avoid problems online or on dating apps and the not fall into the hands of the Tinder Swindler? Would you enjoy a complimentary chat with one of our experts to enable you to understand the dating marketplace more thoroughly?
Matchmakers Dating are happy to provide that complimentary chat and advice on how you can best achieve your goals and aspirations when seeking a quality new partner. To book an appointment then please complete your contact details here or phone us at our expense on 0800 644 4130. There is never any obligation or compulsion to proceed, just a relaxed chat with one of our Membership Advisers with the aim of putting you in an informed position. We’d be really glad to help.
Once we have discussed and understand your specific requirements, we will be able to recommend a suitable, tailor-made membership package with bespoke fees for you.
If you are seeking an elite matchmaking consultancy service where the exeptional is distinguished from merely the very good, please get in touch for a confidential consultation.
