For a few weeks, social media has been awash with discussions of ‘The Tinder Swindler”. A Netflix documentary about serial conman Simon Hayut, also known as Simon Leviev who swindled women off dating app Tinder, of approximately $10 million.
After watching the documentary, we have concluded that the Tinder Swindler has many similarities with investment fraudsters who take advantage of unsuspecting investors by promising them extraordinary returns in exchange for their money.
Here are five similarities between the Tinder Swindler and an investment fraudster;
1. They portray a false identity. Simon Hayut falsely told the women he was dating that he was the son of Israeli billionaire and diamond magnate, Lev Leviev. This was among other false identities he had assumed in the past. Fraudulent investment schemes are similar in the sense that they present false investment opportunities, which are often not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
2. Investment fraudsters find a human want such as the desire for wealth and they exploit it. Simon Hayut exploited his victims want for love and companionship.
3. Investment fraudsters bait their victims; this is often by offering ridiculously high Return on Investment. In the case of the Tinder Swindler, he wooed his victims with trips on private planes and stays in extravagant hotels. Thus making them comfortable enough to part with their funds with the hopes that they will get it back.
4. Simon relied on high-pressure tactics. He created a sense of urgency by telling the women that he was in danger and in need of funds immediately. This is similar to high pressure tactics used in investment frauds, where potential investors are told that they need to act quickly and invest or risk missing out.
5. In both the case of the Tinder Swindler and investment frauds, recovering money lost is a difficult as pulling teeth! Most investors by the time they realize the scam are just content to recover their initial capital and even that might not be possible.
One lesson to be learned from this is that there is no one group of people who are more likely to become a victim of a scam, all of us may be vulnerable to a scam at some time so it is important to stay vigilant.
Verify any investment opportunity provided to you; resist the pressure to part with your money immediately. Most importantly if you suspect an investment scheme is fraudulent, speak out about it to prevent other people falling victim.