108. I was Tinder Swindled
On their first date, he flew her to Europe on a private jet. Then he conned her out of nearly $200,000. Cecilie Fjellhoy was one of the so-called Tinder Swindlerβs many victims.
Presenters Dr Julia Shaw and Amber Haque meet the world's most famous victim of romance fraud: Cecilie Fjellhoy. After exposing the so-called Tindler Swindler in a Netflix hit, Cecilie confronted him in person and set up a campaign to help other victims.
Cecilie's life changed radically after she swiped right on the Tinder profile of Simon Leviev.
He took her on a private jet on their first date, told her he was the son of a billionaire diamond dealer and seemed to live a jet set life. But though he dressed in designer clothes from head to toe, drove expensive cars and had an entourage that included a chauffeur and a bodyguard, the handsome Israeli was actually a convicted fraudster whose real name was Shimon Hayut.
Once he knew Cecilie had fallen in love with him, he told her his life was in danger and that he needed to stay alive. He maxed out her credit card immediately and then begged her to get more money. She managed to borrow nearly $200,000 which he promised to pay back but he never did. She ended up bankrupt and depressed while he moved on to defrauding other women.
She tells Julia and Amber about life after Netflix - and discusses the psychological tricks that romance fraudsters play.
Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Amber Haque
Producer: Shabnam Grewal
Executive Producer: Innes Bowen
Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister
Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey
Researcher: Rhiannon Cobb
Mix Engineer: John Scott
Recording Studio: 88Hertz
Commissioning Editor: Dylan Haskins
Assistant Commissioners: Izzy Lee-Poulton, Adam Eland and Sarah Green
Podcast
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Bad People
True crime stories and insights into why people do bad things.
