Netflix’s new documentary (one of many great documentaries) The Tinder Swindler has quickly hit the top ten most popular streams for the service. This is not a surprise considering Netflix viewers love real stories about deception such as The Devil Next Door. The Tinder Swindler focuses on the well-known dating app almost everyone has used in a search for falling in love and more specifically when someone takes advantage of users on the app.
But, for romance seekers with expectations of Disney-like “happily ever afters,” one swipe right may destroy any faith they ever had in the fairy tale. Cecile was one woman who thought she had all the appropriate safety measures in place to protect herself online. But it may not have been enough.
What happened to The Tinder Swindler and is he in jail? Here is the outcome of the man who called himself Simon Leviev.
What happens in The Tinder Swindler on Netflix?
Cecile met Simon Leviev at the Four Seasons for a quick coffee date. Every girl likes being swept off her feet, so it was a definite plus when he told her that he was the CEO of LLD Diamonds. After wooing her with fancy trips and expensive dinners they fell in love. Eventually, he claimed that due to a security threat he couldn’t use his credit cards anymore so he would like to use hers.
While pursuing Cecile, he is also pursuing friendship and romantic relationships with other women and telling them the same sob story about dangerous security threats and needing funds because he can’t use his own cards or his enemies will track him.
Eventually, Cecile has taken out a quarter-million dollars worth of loans. This is when she realizes every aspect of his identity has been a lie. At this point he starts to threaten her and goes to another woman, Pernilla, asking for money with the same ruse, only this time, adding that his family is under investigation.
Cecile decides he must be stopped and goes to the news which makes Pernilla realize everything about Simon (even his name) is a lie. Ayleen Charlotte sees the article with his picture and realizes he has also been defrauding her, and they conspire to get him arrested.
But did he go to jail or prison?
Is the Tinder Swindler in jail or prison?
So, Ayleen decides to trap him and sends evidence of a fake identity he is using to the police. They arrest him when he gets off the plane for use of a fake passport. He is sentenced to fifteen months in prison. Of that fifteen, he only serves five.
For viewers hopeful that this man would face justice, they will be sorely disappointed. Not only did he only serve 5 months, but he is also now a free man living in Israel and dating a popular Israeli model. He has never been charged with defrauding the women, who are still paying off the estimated $10 million he stole from them or others while he runs a business consulting website.
However, he is banned from Tinder indefinitely. Tinder had this to say to the website The Tab:
“We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases.”
The Tinder Swindler is a dangerous look into how simple it is to pretend to be someone else online. It’s easy to feel a pseudo sense of safety with someone, but that safety may be just a lie.
The Tinder Swindler is now streaming on Netflix.