Despite the 21st-century overtones of its title, in many ways The Tinder Swindler is a con as old as time. Netflix’s new documentary, from the team behind Don’t F*** with Cats and The Imposter, begins with the story of Cecilie Fjellhoy, a 29-year old Norwegian graduate student living in London. It’s January 2018, and like so many men and women in her position, Fjellhoy’s search for love mainly comprises flicking left and right on dating apps, assessing potential partners on the basis of a few photographs and a sentence about their interests.
In the usual morass of lads who think “eating” and “sleeping” are adequate things to list under “hobbies”, as though they weren’t requisites of being a living mammal, Simon Leviev stands out. He is handsome, successful, and has the kind of lifestyle graduate students tend not to enjoy. They meet in luxury hotels and he takes her on private jets. She is bowled over by his occasional vulnerability as well as his charm. “He was the kind of person you want to save,” she says.
