If you’re like me and spent the weekend procrastinating, you had time to binge watch “The Tinder Swindler” and “Inventing Anna” — two of Netflix’s latest original content releases this month.
Though one is technically a series drama, both recount the real-life lies of individuals that swindled and scammed their way into hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to be rich themselves. What’s even more shocking about the fraud this documentary and series narrativize is how it maps onto society’s obsession with having status and wealth — even if it’s artificial.
“The Tinder Swindler” documents the alleged activities of Shimon Hayut, an Israeli man who used Tinder to meet women and use them to fund his very lavish lifestyle. Hayut was convicted of fraud in Finland before he changed his name to Simon Leviev and continued his scheme as the supposed heir to his father’s diamond business.
Hayut’s plan included impressing women he met on Tinder with a luxurious first date, including a getaway on a private jet, and maintaining the relationship while also traveling for “business” and dating other women.
The true scam began when Hayut became the victim of a series of attacks and threats from a nefarious and anonymous “enemy”…
