Netflix's Netflix documentary tells a fairly complete story of the experiences of three of the victims.
Tinder Swindler shares the stories of three women, Cecilie Fjellhoy, Pernilla Sjoholm, and Ayleen Charlotte, who were all conned by Simon using a very similar strategy. Simon would slowly develop a relationship with them over months, during which he would demonstrate his wealth using money he had previously scammed out of others. Then, he would pretend to have survived an attack, sending pictures of an injury his supposed bodyguard had suffered and claiming his enemies were tracking him using his credit cards. These women willingly transferred over large amounts of money or opened new credit card s in their own name to help Simon stay safe. He always promised to pay them back but never did.
The Netflix documentary concluded when Cecilie, Pernilla, and Ayleen worked together with journalists to have Simon arrested, but unfortunately, he was only charged for the fraud he had committed years before in Israel and not for the numerous schemes he had pulled on these unsuspecting women. Tinder Swindler is remarkably accurate in retelling these women's stories and retains many of the most important details, but it doesn't include everything. Here are the biggest things the documentary leaves out from the story.
Simon's First Crime Was Stealing Checks While Babysitting
Tinder Swindler confirms that Simon was born with the name Shimon Yehuda Hayut, and he was the son of the chief rabbi of El Al Airlines. Growing up, he became known for his thievery, and his first recorded crime occurred when he was 20-years-old. While babysitting a four-year-old child, Simon stole checks from the family. This crime is briefly referenced in the documentary along with countless others who shared their experiences after Cecilie and Pernilla's story first broke in the news. Around the same time, Simon also stole checks from his employer while working as a handyman and convinced a classmate to invest in a deal that didn't exist. The Netflix film doesn't detail these events or explore much of Simon's childhood at all. Tinder Swindler keeps the focus on Cecilie, Pernilla, and Ayleen and doesn't question what may have led Simon toward his criminal lifestyle.
Simon Launched A Civil Lawsuit
Even after his arrest and time spent in an Israeli prison, Simon maintained his innocence concerning the women in Netflix's documentary Tinder Swindler. He told Israel's Channel 12 news (via Esquire), “I have the right to choose whatever name I want, I never presented myself as the son of anyone, but people use their imaginations ... I never took a dime from them.” In response to these accusations, he filed a civil lawsuit against Cecilie and Pernilla. Yet, despite his claims of innocence, he continued to threaten Pernilla while in prison and told her she would pay for what she'd done. Some of Simon's other victims have filed lawsuits against him as well, but so far, they haven't gone anywhere. Simon is enjoying his freedom and apparent financial success in Israel following his early release and avoids the several countries that still want him to pay for his schemes.
The Pandemic Contributed To Early Release
Tinder Swindler outlines that Simon was sentenced to serve 15 months for his crimes in Israel and was released after only five. The documentary reveals that he got out on good behavior, which may be partially true, but isn't the whole story. The COVID-19 pandemic played a part in the early release of Simon and many other inmates around the world who were serving time in overcrowded prisons. In an attempt to slow the spread of the virus as much as possible, these facilities released certain individuals deemed low risk or who had been displaying good behavior. In other words, if it wasn't for the pandemic, Simon may have served his entire sentence.
Simon Still Fakes Identities
Despite everything Simon has gone through before and during the events covered in the documentary, including going to prison twice, he doesn't seem to have learned anything. In December 2020, after his release, Simon made headlines once again. He had pretended to be a paramedic in order to receive the COVID vaccine early, proving that his tendency to adopt fake identities had not gone away. Simon explained to Israel's Channel 12 that he wasn't "somebody who waits in lines," exemplifying that he not only continues to fake personas to get what he wants, but he remains unapologetic about it, even when caught. Simon's social media still displays an expensive lifestyle, and his latest girlfriend is an Israeli model. Although there's no proof that he is still conning people to maintain this lifestyle, at the very least, Simon has seemingly proved himself incapable of remaining honest.
One Of Cecilie's Banks Wrote Off Her Debt
The women featured in the documentary Tinder Swindler have itted they're still struggling to pay off their debt, especially Cecilie, who had acquired more than $250,000 during her time with Simon. She has claimed that she cannot return home to Norway because she fears the creditors there, and many of the banks she took out loans from continue to hound her for money. Cecilie shared (via ELLE) that "she’s been taken to court by four banks, has eight creditors currently chasing her for payment, and her debt continues to accumulate." However, not everyone has been so indifferent to her situation. One of the banks decided to write off her debt to them entirely, and an employee there appeared as a witness in one of her court cases. Cecilie recalled him explaining that banks have insurance for just these kinds of situations, and he couldn't understand why the other banks were unforgivable.
Simon Is Seemingly Inactive On Tinder
Although Netflix's documentary Tinder Swindler states Simon has been back on the Tinder app since his release, the company has shared that they don't believe he still uses it. In a statement, Tinder claimed an internal investigation had not uncovered any evidence that Simon remains active on the app under any known aliases. Of course, it is highly possible that he simply returned to the site under a new identity or switched to a different dating app to continue his schemes, but all of his negative publicity — thanks to the journalists who first broke the story as well as this documentary — would make his cons much more difficult to pull off. There's no way to know for sure whether or not Simon has actually given up his lies unless someone else comes forward with a similar story to Cecilie, Pernilla, and Ayleen's.
