Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: TV And Film, Netflix
Lucy Devine
Ever since The Tinder Swindler dropped on Netflix, viewers have been fascinated by the story of Simon Leviev - an Israeli conman who used Tinder to trick women out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Leviev would impress women he matched with on Tinder with extravagant dinners and private jets, claiming to be a billionaire's son, before tricking them into giving him thousands.
Fans have a lot of opinions about Simon (also known as Shimon Hayut) and the women who he conned. And while some people have been quick to judge the victims - with many claiming they wouldn't have fallen for Leviev's charms - others have defended them.
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In the doc, we first meet Cecilie Fjellhoy, who was in a relationship with Hayut and gave him around $200,000 (£148,000) in savings and bank loans.
Cecilie recalled how, on her first date with Simon, he took her on a private jet. But, rather oddly, along with his team and security staff, was the mother of his child and the toddler they shared.
Cecilie explained that, alone in a taxi with the mother and child, the woman had said only good things about Leviev.
Viewers thought it was strange, but were gobsmacked when they found out later in the film, that the mother was actually one of the women who had testified against Leviev shortly before he served a two-year sentence for conning three women in 2015.
While some viewers branded the mother 'evil' for not warning Cecilie, others defended her, pointing out that the pair share a child.
One person wrote on Reddit: "It’s likely that the baby’s mother was a legit victim that ended up getting pregnant by him right before his incarceration… so she forgave him + teamed up bc she now was tied to him.
"Maybe he promised her a certain amount for her/baby if she participated given he prob ran her dry too. I’m thinking she was in a desperate situation by that point... had a kid with a guy that scammed her."
Another added: "I’m not saying it’s right. I just think that when it’s a parent protecting a child, it’s a lot more nuanced than it might be otherwise. People do a whole lot of s**t they wouldn’t ordinarily do for the sake of protecting their kids."
Others were simply desperate to know more of her story, with another writing: "Was that former victim really the mother of his child? If so, why did she change sides?"
While a fourth added: "I just want to know the story of the prior victim of the Tinder Swindler who then becomes his accomplice, and also is that really his child?"
You can watch The Tinder Swindler on Netflix now.