The Scream

The Tinder Swindler

The Tinder Swindler poster art
Image courtesy of TMDB. Used under license.

Slick, infuriating, a little thin.

The Tinder Swindler follows three women who matched with a man claiming to be the son of a diamond mogul, and who were then bled for hundreds of thousands of pounds via a con so brazen it barely qualifies as sophisticated. Cecilie, Pernilla and Ayleen carry the film, and their refusal to be embarrassed is the best thing in it.

The reconstruction of the money trail is clear and infuriating, and the film is properly angry about how little the banks and the law did. Watching the three women organise their own sting is genuinely satisfying.

It is thin. Ninety minutes of slick graphics and Instagram screenshots cannot hide that the documentary never gets near the man at the centre of it, and the final stretch lands as a shrug rather than a gut punch.

Compulsive but shallow. A very good watch, not a great documentary.

What to know before you watch

Is The Tinder Swindler worth watching?

Yes — we gave it 7/10. Slick, infuriating, a little thin.

What is The Tinder Swindler about?

Simon Leviev flew private on other women's credit cards — a slick, furious documentary that is better on the victims than it is on the man himself.

What should I watch after The Tinder Swindler?

  • Bad Vegan
  • Inventing Anna
  • A Toxic Love Story
See more shows like this.

The verdict

7/10