The 'Tinder Swindler' and the woman who exposed him: Where are they now?

'The Tinder Swindler' was the first documentary to lead Netflix's weekly film chart. It won awards and raised awareness about romance scams around the world. Read on to learn what happened after the doc's success.

There is no doubt that this film is a must-see, particularly in this age of online dating. Not only is it entertaining, but it is also educational.

Photo: Netflix

Follow Showbizz Daily to stay informed and enjoy more content!

The two-hour documentary tells the shocking story of how convicted fraudster Simon Leviev conned women he met on Tinder out of vast sums of money.

Photo: Netflix

It is a shocking and devastating lesson for viewers on why they should never take a loan out for a lover they have only known for a short period of time, no matter how desperate their circumstances appear to be.

Photo: Netflix

However, that is not to say that the women who fell for Leviev's con and practically lost everything were not intelligent. It is much easier to say you'd never fall for his scams when you are watching the show and know the context. By 2022, Cecilie, Pernilla, and Ayleen were still paying off their debts, according to Esquire.

One would never imagine that a man without any financial means would hire a private plane he could not afford just to, later on, be able to con you out of cash.

Photo: simon_leviev_official / Instagram

Or who in their right mind could imagine that the man they were dating would purposely get his best friend beat up to convince you he is in grave danger?

Photo: simon_leviev_official / Instagram

Nor would you ever guess that other women were paying for his lifestyle. Or that he wasn't really flying around Europe on business but instead partying with another lover's cash he scammed out of her?

Photo: simon_leviev_official / Instagram

Watching Shimon Hayut deceive these kind, successful, and intelligent women over and over again was so maddening and frustrating as a viewer.

Image: Netflix

That is why Ayleen Koeleman from the Netherlands is so well-received by viewers - because she gets revenge. It is oh-so-satisfying to finally see "Simon" get a small taste of his own medicine.

Photo: ayleencharlott / Instagram

Ayleen's attempt (even if small compared to what Simon did to everyone else) to "swindle the Tinder Swindler," as she put it, was a much-needed story arc to keep viewers satisfied. It also turned Ayleen Koeleman into a hero for many.

Image: Netflix

In the documentary, Ayleen said, "He always told me to keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer… that's when I got my idea: I was going to swindle the Tinder Swindler."

Photo: ayleencharlott / Instagram

Ayleen gained our admiration when she described how she played along with Simon, even though she knew he was a big-time scammer, and encouraged him to hand over his designer clothing to get more cash for him (rather than take more loans herself as was his request).

Photo: simon_leviev_official / Instagram

Ayleen then went on to list the clothes on eBay and keep all the money she made off of them for herself....she even gets an offer on one of Simon's pieces of designer clothing while being filmed!

Photo: Netflix

Simon knew he was a wanted man and that he was being investigated (although he never suspected Ayleen). So naturally, he went to a plastic surgeon with Ayleen to see if he could get his face altered under the guise that it was to keep him safe from his "enemies."

Photo: simon_leviev_official / Instagram

The doctor, of course, would not perform the surgery as it is normally what criminals request. Ayleen recalls, "As I'm watching this pathetic man crying for not getting his plastic surgery, I thought, "If you weren't such a piece of s*** I would've felt sorry for you."

Photo: simon_leviev_official / Instagram

And while Shimon Hayut may have gone to jail for far too short of a time (five months in 2019 in Israel) and has yet to be held accountable for all the crimes he committed, Ayleen Koeleman is still our hero.

Ayleen was unafraid to stand up to a con artist and seek justice for herself and the other women he stole hundreds of thousands of euros from.

Photo: ayleencharlott / Instagram

As of 2024, he is living as a free man. That's right. And on his social media, he posts videos of him living a lavish lifestyle.

Image: simonleviev777 / TikTok

On his latest TikTok account (his last one was deleted), he even posted a video of him alongside a beautiful woman who was affectionate to him. Could he be at it again!? "Poor girl," wrote one of the Tiktok users in the comments. We can only hope she's aware of who he is!

Image: simonleviev777 / TikTok

Well, it looks like everything worked out for her too! Her social media shows her living a fabulous life of travels as she promotes her brand of wine. Good to see she is still rocking it!

Photo: ayleencharlott / Instagram

Follow Showbizz Daily to stay informed and enjoy more content!