Meet Netflix's Latest Craze, 'The Tinder Swindler'

February might as well have been renamed 'Netflix Month' this year. From Inventing Anna to Love Is Blind's second season, we've barely left our sofas, and TBH we're not mad about it. But perhaps nothing broke the internet quite like the true-crime documentary that hit the streaming service on February 2nd: The Tinder Swindler.

So what's all the hype behind our latest binge? Well, it tells the true story of Shimon Hayut, a certified fraudster that was originally born in Israel. By using dating apps like Tinder, he was able to woo (ahem, con) women into sending him huge sums of money and even racking up enormous debt with credit cards and bank loans. This real-life Catch Me If You Can tale follows three brave women as they share their stories of the initial attraction or spark they felt with one of Shimon's identities, Simon Leviev. That's right, he posed as the son of diamond tycoon, Lev Leviev and flaunted a luxurious but enemy-ridden lifestyle. By acting like Prince Charming at first, Shimon was able to gain the trust of these women, only before starting his ploy: needing funds to escape the death threats he was facing as a prominent diamond executive.

We don't know about you guys, but sometimes this documentary felt too crazy to be a reality. And after finally being captured in 2019, he ultimately only stayed in prison for five months - and is now a free man! But it seems he hasn't learned his lesson yet. Despite being permanently banned from Tinder, he has continued hustling in other ways, including a business/success consultation business and even paid Cameo appearances! But if you ask "Simon," the doc was more fiction than anything. "I'm not this monster," he pleaded in an appearance with Inside Edition (below).

According to reports, the jet setter is looking at his own production deals to get his side of the story told, just like Inventing Anna's Anna Sorokin. And while we may be hard to convince with his version of the events, we sure are looking forward to another great title to stream! Until then, stay tuned.