Tinder has always been a bit of a nightmare in my opinion, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Lynn Cupido.
Having to wade through a sea of creepy dudes trying to lure you to their apartment for sex, handsome dudes trying to lure you to their apartment for sex, robots and ghosts can make anyone want to climb under the covers for the next few years.
Attempting to not get kidnapped and not get your heartbroken while navigating the murky waters that is online dating has made me question my life decisions a few times. But imagine my sheer panic when I found out I would now have to add “avoid man who says he is the son of diamond mogul” to the already long list.
Simon Leviev has been a name on everyone‘s lips recently thanks to Netflix‘s explosive documentary The Tinder Swindler.
It‘s the gift that keeps on giving, and I highly recommend everyone watch it.
However, if you‘ve recently come out from living under a rock, here‘s a short synopsis: SPOILER ALERT!
Simon, or rather Shimon Hayut, is the “son” of a wealthy billionaire who whisks several women off on private jets, sets them up in five-star hotels and showers them with lavish gifts before pulling the rug out from under them and defrauding them of tens of thousands of dollars by claiming that his “enemies” are after him.
Needless to say, these women take out loans in their names and provide this money to Simon, hoping that the supposed billionaire will pay them back once he sails out of the very hot water he‘s currently in. But that day never comes.
I spent the majority of the two-hour runtime in utter shock and had to verbally tell myself to close my mouth once the credits began to roll. But the one thing that I love most about this shocking documentary is the conversation that it‘s sparked.
Countless women and men, around the world, are asking the same question. Would this happen to me? Surely, I would never be that stupid to give money to someone I barely know.
The memes and Twitter rants have been as equally entertaining as the documentary itself, and Capetonians have been oppit when it comes to their thoughts on the matter.
Hey guys, my enemies are after me and I need 1 million pounds to make sure I’m safe. Please it’s an emergency I need you to do this right now
— S.B. (@SephoraCB_x) February 5, 2022
Ayleen from The Tinder Swindler logging into eBay while Simon Leviev WhatsApps her about 1-star hostels #TheTinderSwindler pic.twitter.com/VoQFCx6YLA
— Britt (@BrittyJo) February 4, 2022
Tinder Swindler is wild
Ask me to lend 20k I’m going to say ask billionaire daddio, not me ??
I honestly do not care if Peter bumped his head— Ambs (@AmberRoseGill) February 6, 2022
Simon Leviev may have had conning on lock, but his photoshop skills are…questionable #TheTinderSwindler pic.twitter.com/BVZniPbMmt
— The Holy Church of Netflix (@netflixchurch) February 7, 2022
Another spoiler! In the midst of my confusion and shock, I saw something familiar flash across the screen. No, was that Table Mountain? It seems that the money Simon defrauded from the women featured in the documentary was enough to buy him a lavish trip to the Mother City. Imagine… getting defrauded in Rands – wow.
Accountability has been another hot topic surrounding The Tinder Swindler. Surely, these women had it coming? They were clearly after his “money,” so they need to take accountability for their greed. The always hilarious Siv Ngesi posed this thought to his Instagram followers.
The comments were a mixed bag with many users siding with the victims, as @tiffanyannemasters said:
“Really didn’t expect this kind of misogyny and victim-blaming from you. Do better.”
Honestly, in a world that‘s so interconnected, people are lonely. It‘s not difficult to see why Cecilie Fjellhøy, one of Simon‘s victims, would dig herself into a £250 000 hole of debt to save the man she loved.
No matter which side of the opinion spectrum you fall under, there’s no question this is a diamond worth binging.
Also read:
Government looks into prospect of decriminalising sex work in SA
Picture: Reddit