A woman who claims to have dated The Tinder Swindler began noticing the red flags early on and opted ditch him before it was too late.
In what must be the most talked about Netflix show at the moment, Simon Leviev - real name Shimon Hayut - features in the film, which showcases the incredible story of women who were conned by the pretend-playboy.
Advert
He has spent years travelling around the world, on the run from the authorities, and was wanted for a series of crimes, including forgery and theft.
For Valeria Calpanchay, she told The Mirror what it was like after going on a date with Hayut back in 2018.
Originally from Argentina, Valeria has lived in Germany since 2018.
When she was new to Munich and in the search for meeting new people, Valeria recalled the time where she matched with Shimon on Tinder.
Advert
She revealed: "I had a Tinder account by then so I saw this guy called 'Simon', who seemed good looking and that he travelled a lot. I also love travelling, I have been to many countries, so I thought it would be nice to meet up. I was curious".
She added: "Our date was very spontaneous, and happened a day after we matched. I had just finished work and he texted saying if I was free to meet up. I think he sent a voice message".
However, this is when slight suspicions grew and Valeria began to question whether this man is, who he says he is.
Valeria said: "My first thought was 'millionaires are not flashing their money on Tinder...because they don't need to'. So I was curious to see what he was actually like."
Advert
After suggesting to grab a coffee in an affluent area of Munich, the conman wasn't a fan of the menu and wanted to go elsewhere.
She explains: "I remember we sat for five minutes and then he suggested we go to another place because he didn't like the menu. Then I went to a fancy cigar store with him because he wanted to smoke one. After that we went into a mall, where we finally sat at a cafe, which seemed like an expensive place as well."
She dubbed Leviev as being 'a talkative guy' who 'was more into talking about himself'.
When Valeria asked him where he was from, The Tinder Swindler didn't give a straight answer, as one might expect.
Advert
After their first date, which only lasted an hour or so, she concluded that there 'was nothing too concerning' but added: "I was still not sure if he was genuine or not."
The trickster allegedly messaged her that same evening and invited her to a party at his home in Munich.
She said: "It was already very late and I was in my pyjamas, so of course, I didn't feel like going. We had a little conversation via WhatsApp but I really didn't feel like going so he said something like 'I thought you were more spontaneous than that'."
After finding out who he really was, Valeria said: "I am shocked that many women would believe him, but my theory is that he had many tinder dates in a day and would carefully choose his victims because not everyone can fall for him. He was a professional."
Topics: The Tinder Swindler, Simon Leviev, TV and Film, Netflix
Anish Vij