ANALYSIS: The Tinder Swindler
Added 2022-02-14 23:56:57 +0000 UTCHappy Valentine's Day! For this holiday we decided to share an episode about the world's most popular dating app--Tinder--and man that many women unfortunately swiped right on--the swindler.
The Tinder Swindler is Netflix's latest popular documentary, and warning: SPOILER ALERTS in this episode. Dr. John has things to say and he didn't hold back!
Comments
I'm glad you discussed this. I saw the documentary as soon as it became available and saw the women had a lot of things in common with my own experiences. I was conned out of quite a lot of money by someone who pretended to be my boyfriend. It was a very traumatic experience that I still don't really like to talk about in detail even though I've moved on with my life. Just to name a few: he gave me a different name and at one point he told me his mother was in the hospital and dying (even though police later told me this was not an admission hospital, so it was all a lie). I reported it to the police. The first thing they told me, as I was making an appointment for the report, was that it would be very hard to prove. This is honestly a bad way to approach a victim. Sure, be clear. But maybe sit down and listen first. I had already doubted whether to report it because I knew the money would never be repaid anyway and the proces would be draining, but I ultimatly did it because I wanted to do all I could to prevent someone else to go through this. They eventually dropped the case because there was insufficient evidence. I wasn't too sad about it, wasn't looking forward to a trial. But yes, this guy has definitely done this before and probably many times after. Looking back he's most probably a psychopath. There are many big red flags I can see now. Even a moment I thought he might kill me (but I still went with him, yes terrible). He wouldn't have, he still got money so why would he. But still, I'm glad I fully blocked him from my life and moved to a different place. Sorry to just spill all this on you ;) But it's kind of healing to see that I'm not the only one. Even though I know these things happen to people and I was manipulated, I can still catch myself blaming myself sometimes.
Purple
2022-02-21 10:15:57 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing. Hope they get some justice
Laura Rojas
2022-02-16 19:29:18 +0000 UTCYou brought up psychopathy and borderline for this guy.... What is the difference? I have a close relative who I think has BPD. Where do personality disorders stem from? Nature, nurture, biological, chemical....??
TriciaTheTrucker
2022-02-16 09:33:09 +0000 UTCI just saw this was up! It’s great even after Valentine’s! I have it watched the doc yet but speaking of him thinking that he’s done nothing wrong - he now has an agent and is shopping a dating advice tv show and a podcast about himself. I’m not sure how to feel about this, it’s truly disgusting that entertainment industry would reach out to him for this. It just reinforces his idea that he’s done nothing wrong. On the other hand, Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry is famous for chewing people up and spitting them out broken. With him it would be more broken but I wouldn’t mind seeing it https://www.thedailybeast.com/simon-leviev-tinder-swindler-fraudster-seeks-new-career-as-dating-guru
Jackie rowan
2022-02-15 18:26:05 +0000 UTCWasn't going to watch, had John vibe evidently, but now intrigued. The podcast made me do it!
Stephanie Stewart
2022-02-15 15:56:13 +0000 UTCAlso, if you strip a person of theirs assets, it damages their family, deprives an entire network of family of resources they would have had if he had not stolen their resources. Theft never serves the victims, no matter how much his bs tries to justify his crimes. This is just the usual refusal to accept responsibility. That is right at the heart of how they can live with themselves.
Roberta S Treacy
2022-02-15 05:29:12 +0000 UTCThanks for the valentines surprise! I love your past Valentine’s that you shared with us. As an American I have no understanding of foreign bankruptcy laws. I wish these victims at least had that recourse. When I was much younger I had some acquaintances who had to declare bankruptcy but were able to restart their lives again. I hope the exposure on Netflix can somehow help the victims. Any property he has acquired in Israel needs to be seized and sold.
Alicia Walker
2022-02-15 05:27:53 +0000 UTCDoesn’t this guy just play on the decency of others? If his targets were less decent and honest, they would not bail him out?
Roberta S Treacy
2022-02-15 05:24:20 +0000 UTC😂 “making millions of dollars” and yet has to ask a tinder date to send him money because his bodyguard got beaten up. Mm kaaayyyy.
Krista Steiger
2022-02-15 05:01:43 +0000 UTCWhat a great idea for an episode! No offense to Lauren, but I’m with Dr. John- I haven’t watched this because I get so frustrated by these types of stories!! I “like” violent true crime stories where the offender(s) get caught and pay the price! Also— I would NEVER go on a plane, private or not, with someone I met on a dating app. But I’ve also never done a dating app either, so there’s that… 😅
Krista Steiger
2022-02-15 04:58:03 +0000 UTCI’m only about 3 minutes in but I have to comment — I used to do forensic consulting so dealt with lots of financial crime. The worst part about taking any action against perps is because it’s more expensive to do an investigation than the fraud in the first place. So excited for this one! What a great valentines surprise!!
Alexandra A
2022-02-15 04:23:34 +0000 UTCSocial media is only as cruel as the people who use it.
Erica A. Zwick
2022-02-15 02:24:20 +0000 UTCJust watched this documentary and a similar one called the puppet master on Netflix. Unfortunately, the endings pretty much the same. Crime seems to pay. #ugh
Cindy
2022-02-15 01:11:33 +0000 UTCYay! My husband is teaching a Criminal Law class tonight for V-Day and I am going to sip and savor a Hidden True Crime Patreon episode. Thanks for posting this today. ❤️
Melanee Evans
2022-02-15 01:07:11 +0000 UTCGreat podcast. I watched the movie a week ago and was impressed by the quality of the movie. Simon reminds me of an insect that burrows in and then eats it’s way out. Social media can be (is???) so cruel
Heather Carter
2022-02-15 00:58:32 +0000 UTCDid you listen to the companion podcast to the Tinder Swindler? “The Making of a Swindler”? Worth a listen if this topic interests you. Information that didn’t make the documentary, interview of his chauffeur, more victims, more on his origin story etc.
CuriousinColorado
2022-02-15 00:48:52 +0000 UTCCan’t wait!!!
Heather Carter
2022-02-15 00:19:31 +0000 UTC
