Need an antidote to Valentine’s Day schmaltz? The Tinder Swindler on Netflix will make being alone on V-Day seem a lot better.

The documentary, released last week, tells the story of two very trusting (or gullible) women who swiped right on one very bad man.

Cecilie Fjellhøy was a Norwegian ex-pat living in London when she found a match on Tinder that seemed too good to be true: a handsome young Israeli named Simon Leviev, heir to a diamond company and a billionaire jet-setter who won her over with an intense love-bombing campaign.

He called himself ‘the prince of diamonds’ and claimed to be the son of billionaire Russian-Israeli diamond mogul, Lev Leviev. Cecilie did a Google search on him, and his story seemed to hold up to scrutiny, but this was persona was a carefully crafted illusion. (Though “Simon” turns out to have many aliases, the producers call him by the Leviev moniker for most of the film.)

Cecilie and Simon’s first date was lavish: a trip on a private plane to an exotic location, staying at a luxury hotel where he spoiled her with expensive treats and top tier food and drink. Though he sent her back to London after a few days, he bombarded her with messages that showed his growing love and desire to be together. (The movie makes good use of WhatsApp and text message graphics, and plays back Simon’s videos and messages to Cecilie and others to document what happened.)

After a month, Simon wants to move in with Cecilie, but he is not in town, so that involves her picking out and paying for an apartment, though he promises to pay his share. Then Cecilie gets a shocking series of texts: Simon was brutally attacked, his bodyguard has been seriously injured, and he is in grave danger.

He tells Cecilie his survival depends on her sending him cash, and taking out an Amex card in her name. As suspicious as this sounds, Cecilie was just smitten enough to give in to Simon’s endless demands for more cash and credit.

Enter Pernilla. Pernilla Sjöholm, a former sales employee from Sweden, also matched with Simon, but theirs was not a love match. They did agree to stay friends, however, and spent a summer enjoying extravagant European holidays – trips unwittingly funded by Fjellhøy, who stayed in London, fretting about her boyfriend’s safety.

Later, Sjoholm would drain her savings to try and help Leviev escape his “enemies”. Overall, she estimates he took between £50,000 and £60,000 from her, which he used to fund his extravagant and philandering lifestyle.

Eventually, Cecilie realizes that she is being played, and turns to Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang, sparking an investigation that uncovers the true identity of Simon Leviev and connects Cecilie with the other women he swindled. (One woman, who bore Simon’s child, both helped convict Simon of fraud in Finland, where he spent two years in prison, and accompanied Simon and Cecile on their first date, lending credence to his fraudulent back story.)

In the course of the investigations, another of Simon’s girlfriends turns up. Ayleen Charlotte is a Dutch woman who believed Simon was her boyfriend and like the others, she also gave him an ungodly amount of money ($140,000) with the same old story about needed protection from his “enemies.”

Ayleen gets the best revenge, though, conning Simon out of his tacky, expensive wardrobe with the promise to send him the money she derives from the sale. (In the most satisfying part of the film, she tells how she kept the money, enraging Simon, and how her continued connection with him is instrumental in helping authorities bring him in.)

Though Leviev (real name Shimon Yehuda Hayut) was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to 15 months in a Israeli jail, he was released after a mere five months on good behavior. He now holds workshops on business and personal success (the fee is $311, if you are interested.)

He has been subsequently banned from Tinder, but is a free man in Israel today and seems to have bounced back nicely. He has never been charged for defrauding the women in the film, who are still paying off the debts they incurred trying to help. It is estimated that he defrauded women globally to the tune of $10 million, and according to the film he is currently seeing an Israeli model. The women in the film are not so lucky, having to rely on their families to help them survive.

The movie, produced by Three Identical Strangers and Don’t F*** With Cats makers Raw TV is a compelling tale which will have you cheering for the three women featured even as you marvel at how dumb they had to be for falling for Simon, who viewers should immediately peg as a transparent and callous slime ball.

All’s not well that ends well, it seems, so while your cat may not be the ideal Valentine, it at least is honest in its affection for you.