The latest Netflix craze is a British documentary about a man named Simon Leviev, who was born Shimon Hayut, who stole millions of dollars from women all across Europe by duping them on Tinder.
The Tinder Swindler highlights Hayut as he interests these unsuspecting women with promises of a luxurious lifestyle, centered around a fake identity as the son of the CEO of a diamond company, before eventually deceiving them into giving him large sums of money via credit cards and loans.
Since the documentary's rise in popularity, the issue of safety across all dating apps has been paramount, and as such, Bustle put together a list of tips to help prevent you from meeting the next "Tinder Swindler."
The best ways to avoid a Tinder Swindler include:
They’re Already Talking About The Future
If you just started messaging a week ago and they’re already acting like you are the love of their life are all signs of love bombing.
They Give You Generic Answers When You First Start Talking
If someone responds with short and concise statements, you could be dealing with a liar. “It's as though they are purposely trying to avoid being caught that they are not local or a real person," says Omar Ruiz, licensed marriage and family therapist.
They Want You To Continue Talking On Another Platform Right Away
According to Ruiz, most people who are dating with good intentions tend to feel more comfortable exchanging contact information after some back and forth messaging within the dating app you met on, but scammers may try to push you to start messaging offline so they can have a better chance of getting what they want from you
They Hesitate To Take It Offline Or They Cancel In-Person Dates At The Last Minute
If you’re dealing with someone who says they’re super excited about meeting up, yet always has a wild excuse for why they can’t do it, you’re likely talking to someone who doesn’t have your best interest at heart.
Your Google Search Left You With A Lot Of Questions
No matter how many people try to deny it, it’s pretty common to Google someone you’re interested in especially if you met them online. If it seems like what they’re saying doesn’t add up to what you’ve seen online, it isn’t something to brush off.
They Reply To You At Odds Times Of The Day
If you’re talking to someone who claims they live in the same place as you, but they only message you at 2 a.m., you may be talking to someone who isn’t being truthful.
They Ask A Lot Of Personal Questions Right Away
Scammers will look for any signs of vulnerability and exploit that in order to get whatever they can out of you.
The Tinder Swindler showcases the lengths three of Hayut's victims, Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte, went to to try and catch him and prevent him from taking advantage of other women, all while they are trying to gain their own lives back, per CNet.
Over the weekend, they created a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising £600,000 ($811,206).
The Tinder Swindler is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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