Just a few weeks ago, Tinder Swindler has topped the Netflix list for some time. The story shows how three women have worked together to bring awareness about scams. They were all victims of Simon Leviev (Shimon Hayut IRL).

Simon took them on expensive and whirlwind dates filled with luxury rides. The girls said that he introduced himself as the son of diamond king Lev Leviev. It was a good ride until it wasn’t. Simon allegedly has been entangled in life-threatening situations which needed the girl’s rescue.

The girls had to take out loans and new cards to support Simon in his “needs”. When the time to pay up came, his cheques bounced.

He recently made a statement in an exclusive interview with Inside Edition saying that he is not the monster everyone is talking about. He also claimed he was a legitimate businessman and that he did not force the women to hand money.

Inventing Anna

Just a few days later came Inventing Anna which details the life of Ana Sorokin. She came to the New York elite scene as a wealthy heiress. Soon, her story unraveled as funds started to run dry. The story visits people she has dealt with and how it has affected their lives.

There was a curious part in the series where it is alleged that Sorokin had ties with Billy McFarland. Yes, the founder of Magnises and the infamous Fyre Festival. Another interesting story of a scam.

Opinions

In my opinion, the part that gave me the most cringe was how this mother have ignored her “newborn” child to pursue a story. I know it is her career and all but is it really more important than her child? Does Anna deserve that attention after what she has put people through?

I know that these documentaries are supposed to bring awareness to the scam. There will always be positive and negative effects. Yes, you bring light to the victims, and yes, you will bring fame to the aggressors. They became even more famous after they have committed the crime and the victims continue to suffer. Yes, some of the victims got GoFundMe pages but not all of them did. We should be more careful on how we portray such situations not to end up sending the wrong message.

Many have put into question the “fake it until you make it” attitude. We have seen so many people post wonderful photos of luxury, travel, and rich lifestyles on social media. This makes us ask if any of it is true? What do Billy, Anna, and Simon have in common? They were all faking it until they make it.

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The documentary has reached over 50 million views since its launch. At the center of it is Simon Leviev. He met girls on the Tinder App and lured them with his luxurious lifestyle. For weeks the girls felt comfortable with him through online conversations, calls, and video calls. Then he would message that he was in trouble and he needed help due to his finances being frozen. This happened to three girls.

In his words

Simon refused to be a part of the Netflix documentary and has been silent for some time until he gave an interview to Inside Edition. He attended the interview with his Israeli girlfriend, model, Kate Konlin. He began by saying “ I am not this monster that everyone has created.”

The interview asked if he ever presented himself as the son of a billionaire. He answered saying he never did. “I did not present myself as such”.

He was reminded that the girls stated in the documentary that they were conned and threatened to produce money for him. “They were never conned, they were never threatened,” he answered.

Authorities believe he has conned about $10 million from many women. In the interview, he seems to still be living a lavish lifestyle. Where is the money coming from? “I am a legit businessman,” Leviev answered.

His girlfriend also said she does not believe the girls in the documentary. She proceeded to say she was surprised “how someone could have built that story”. She also assured the interviewer that Simon has never borrowed money from her.

Simon Leviev left a statement saying “I am not a fraud. I am not a fake. People do not know me.”

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Tinder swindler is a recently released docuseries in Netflix interviewing a victim of Simon Leviev. Simon portrayed himself as the “prince of diamonds”. He showed off his luxurious lifestyle through his tinder and IG accounts. He took on the persona as the son of the diamond king Lev Leviev a billionaire businessman.

The Victims

In the series, we meet Cecilie Fjellhøy who shares her experience with Simon. They met through Tinder and she has seen his photos and immediately was impressed. Simon messaged her and introduced her to his world of jets, five-star hotels, and luxury living. Cecilie was struck by his lavish lifestyle. She continued to stay in touch as he began sending her flowers and video messages.

They seem to have a working long-distance relationship as Cecile appears to be very happy with her new boyfriend. It suddenly took a bad turn when in the evening, Simon sent a photo of his bodyguard bleeding. This began a series of claims of him being in danger and that he needed Cecile to help him out. The help he asked for was through financing since he claimed his “enemies” are tracking him through his card movement. Cecile took out a new credit card and funded Simon for the next few days. His bill reached a debt of $100,000.

On the other side of the pond, Simon was spending time with Pernilla Sjoholm. Although the initial intention was to be lovers, they ended up being friends enjoying each other company. So much so that Simon invited Pernilla to join him and his girlfriend on a tour. It didn’t take long until Pernilla started to receive the same photo of Simon’s bodyguard bleeding. Simon asked to borrow money from Pernilla amounting to $30,000.

While Pernilla was providing Simon with new cards, the now infamous tinder swindler is on a date with Ayleen Charlotte. Although the trend was the same, somehow Aileen was able to take some revenge on Simon. She was able to convince him to sell his luxury clothes to raise funds.

A Norwegian newspaper called VG investigated the so-called tinder swindler and published a piece about him. This news became viral as they found out that Simon whose real identity is Shimon Hayut has been doing it for some time. This all became a part of the documentary launched by Netflix.

Updates

Under the barrage of social media, Shimon posted a message on his IG page saying “I will share my side of the story in the next few days when I have sorted out the best and most respectful way to tell it, both to the involved parties and myself. Until then, please keep an open mind and heart.”

What is a good explanation for scamming women?

The three women he scammed have racked up hundreds of thousands of debts and were left to fix it themselves. They have created a GoFundMe page. “The past few days have been a whirlwind, and we three (Ayleen, Pernilla, and Cecilie) have been completely shocked and floored by the flood of compassion and support from everyone,” they wrote in the fundraiser description. “All we want are our lives back”. Their goal is to reach $811,206. This will be used to pay for the loans they took to help Simon.

The internet has mixed reactions to their case. What are your thoughts?

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