The Documentary Chronicles the Story of Cecilie Fjellhoy and Simon Leviev’s Deceptive Romance
In The Tinder Swindler, Netflix unveils the gripping tale of Cecilie Fjellhoy, a 29-year-old Norwegian graduate student in London who falls victim to an elaborate con perpetrated by Simon Leviev, a man who appears to be the epitome of success and charm.
The story begins in January 2018 when Fjellhoy meets Leviev on Tinder, where he presents himself as the son of a billionaire diamond trader. His glamorous lifestyle—private jets, luxury hotels—seems too good to be true, yet it draws Fjellhoy in. What follows is a series of manipulative acts that see Leviev convincing her to take out a credit card to fund his supposed business expenses, ultimately draining her finances by a quarter of a million dollars.
Though set in the modern context of online dating, Leviev’s con echoes one of the oldest forms of deception: a false persona used to manipulate for financial gain. This documentary is a chilling reminder of the lengths some will go to exploit the vulnerabilities of those seeking love and connection.