”The Tinder Swindler” with Felicity Morris

With 55 million matches to date, Tinder advertises itself as the world’s most popular dating app. But, back in 2019, it was one match in particular — between a Norwegian woman living in London and a charming, self-described “Prince of Diamonds” — that became a viral sensation. It turned out that “Simon Leviev” was no prince, but a convicted con artist who used Tinder to woo a series of women in an elaborate Ponzi scheme that left them emotionally devastated and thousands of dollars in debt. In the thrilling and eye-opening Emmy®-nominated Netflix documentary “The Tinder Swindler”, filmmaker Felicity Morris (“Don’t F**k With Cats”) deftly tracks the story of three courageous women who went public with their stories of being conned by Leviev and sought their own measure of sweet justice. 

Talking to Mike and Ken from her home base in London, Felicity gives her inside take on the swindle and on the making of the film. How did Simon go beyond the conventions of a more traditional con to create such a successful emotional one? How was the story of Ayleen Charlotte, a Dutch woman defrauded by Simon, the key to unlocking the film’s third act? And why does Felicity think that “The Tinder Swindler” — Netflix's most popular documentary of all-time when it launched — resonates so deeply with people? Answers to these questions and more can be found in our podcast interview with Felicity. Just remember to “press play” rather than to “swipe right”.

“The Tinder Swindler” is currently streaming on Netflix. You can also learn more on Felicity’s podcast, “The Making of a Swindler”, available on “You Can’t Make This Up”.

 

Hidden Gem:  “’Twas the Fight Before Christmas”

 

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The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Listen to our recent conversations with these Emmy®-nominated directors whose documentaries are currently on Netflix:

• Andrew Rossi on "The Andy Warhol Diaries"
• Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"
• Felicity Morris on “The Tinder Swindler”