"Tinder Swindler" documentary on Netflix

[mainer]

All I can say is OH MY GOD. The almost unbelievable story of how a conman romanced young women around the world and ended up stealing a total of about $10 million dollars, leaving these victims in deep debt, heartbreak…and rage. Then one brave woman decided to fight back and “swindle the Tinder Swindler”.

Really a fascinating film.

[Mme. Defarge]

1. Leaned a new term -

Love bombed!

[bif]

2. I enjoyed it.

I didn't think it was great. I guess I'd give it 3 stars. What amazed me was that the guy was hardly punished and is out preying on women again!

[Mme. Defarge]

3. That!

[PoliticAverse]

4. America loves a good con, unfortunately. n/t

[Omnipresent]

5. What gets me is how they weren't scared off..

After he revealed the lie, that he had violent enemies.
What women thinks that the danger in this mans life is worth continuing that relationship?

[intrepidity]

6. Too many unanswered questions

How, specifically, did he pull off the con? I'm talking details: how did he establish his "backstory" with all the photos of his lavish lifestyle? Yes, he was running a pyramid scheme, but how did it begin? Somewhere he had to get the first cash infusion to start the ball rolling. And how easy should it have been to discover that he wasn't part of the diamond family?

I'm always intrigued by these kinds of stories, but they inevitably leave me wondering exactly *how* it all happens.

ETA: Listened to a podcast describing how he had stolen blank checks from a family he was babysitting for, and went out and bought an expensive car--like, *how* does that even happen? Who walks into a car dealership and gives them a check--a check with someone else's name on it! -- and drives off with an expensive car? OK, maybe he got fake ID with that name, but even so, buying a car with a check, and driving off before it clears the bank? Maybe the dealership called the bank to ensure funds were available, but still.

Also, heard he and his rabbi father tried running a scam on a fellow rabbi in NYC (his dad was a prominent rabbi in Israel): rabbi dad tried to get NYC rabbi to basically launder money for him, and NYC rabbi agreed (!) and narrowly avoided the con by not giving rabbi dad the cash before the (fake) checks cleared. And at that time, introduced his son to NYC rabbi as the Leviev son (rather than his own son!) leading NYC rabbi to believe he (Simon) was the son of the diamond billionaire. Man!

[doc03]

7. The guy is a POS and I feel sorry for the women that got swindled. But how could those women

be so f--g stupid? I feel they were suckered in thinking they would be rich, just plain greed on their part too.
I guess the old saying is right "A fool and his money are soon parted". If they didn't think he was rich they would have
dropped him the first day.

There is another similar documentary on Netflix "The Serpent" that is very good.

[Vadem]

8. A shonda for mention!

A Yiddish statement of shame that a Jewish person was involved in such a crime!