If you haven’t heard about the new Netflix Documentary ‘The Tinder Swindler’ it is a must watch. I was first told to watch it by my sister-in-law who messaged me to say I had to make a cuppa and settle in to watch the stories of women who had been swindled out of a lot of money by a man they met on Tinder.
I was immediately intrigued as in my role as a Private Investigator, understanding victims and fraudsters is something we can all learn from. Before this Netflix hit, I can’t say the story had been on my radar but having watched it now, I am surprised. This story has to keep being told in every country, so people are aware of the man behind it all, Simon Leviev.
Simon Leviev is just one if the names he uses. Shimon Hayut is his real name, but he also uses the name David Sharon, and it appears he has been defrauding women over the past few years. He matches with women on the Tinder dating site and meets with them quite quickly. He takes these women to expensive hotels, expensive meals out and even private jets posing as the son of diamond billionaire Lev Leviev.
It takes approximately a month of ‘dating’ them before he claims to be in trouble. This trouble is either having ‘enemies’ after him due to his work in the diamond industry or having his accounts blocked so he needs money. The women he is dating give him the money as by this point, they have no reason to suspect he won’t repay them, and everything appears real. He then attracts new women and dates using the money he is taking from his previous girlfriend. It is a typical Ponzi scheme. It is fraud.
I know all too well the traits of a fraudster and any scheme, as different as they may be, all have one common factor, human error. Every fraud relies on a human element making a mistake or error. We all make mistakes, and this is what a fraudster will wait for. Some will manipulate over time such as the Tinder Swindler. Others will be quick, such as an invoice scam where they will change bank account details on an invoice and send it to a company. To the company it is their usual supplier that they pay regularly and the accounts person in that business will pay the supplier with the new account details without giving it a second thought. Money is paid to the fraudster and the money is lost as the person sending the money did it willingly.
It is the same for all the victims of the Tinder Swindler. They are looking for love and it is their human error which causes them to lose their money to a man who promises them what they desire most. Love. In no way am I saying the women are to blame or should be made to feel bad for their decisions as they must live with this, and they are the victims. But we can all learn from this story and the many other stories of fraud about how we can stop making errors.
If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
If someone phones you saying they are from HMRC or the police demanding money, don’t give it to them.
They pray on your fear to part with your cash, so don’t be scared.
A legitimate call from HMRC or a debt collector will not demand large sums of money over the phone. Always ask for it to be posted in writing and if they don’t know your address, don’t give it to them!
Keep your personal information off social media and keep it close. There is a lot we can do as individuals to stop being victims and fight back against fraud. It all starts with you.
The Tinder Swindler has served time in prison, albeit a measly 5 months. He now appears to be living his usual lavish lifestyle on social media. These could also just be old, repurposed videos.
It is always worth knowing that what you see on social media isn’t real. Anyone can take a photo on a private plane or next to a supercar, that doesn’t make it yours. You can rent a supercar for an hour for a few hundred pounds and make a lot of social media posts and videos in different outfits to spread across your social media over the course of a month. It isn’t real life.
The Tinder Swindler is apparently set to make a statement of his side of the story. One we are all waiting for and one which I personally think won’t ever come. His gameplay now will be to ride this media wave for as long as he can before starting another fraud. His attempt to sell business advice sessions won’t be fooling many now though…
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud then firstly report it to action fraud.
If you have worries or suspicions about someone you are having personal or business relationships then get in touch with us to find out more about our background and social media checks services.