Victims In Netflix's 'Tinder Swindler' Launch Fund To Help Clear Debts

The women who were victims in the Netflix documentary Tinder Swindler launch a fund to help clear debts caused by their blind love for finesse master Shimon Hayut.

Source: David M. Benett / Getty

Netflix has blessed social media with its latest talking point and obsession: Tinder Swindler. The documentary gives a look into the dangers of online dating and how the person on the other side of the screen isn’t always who they make it seem.

This documentary details how one man, Shimon Hayut, led on and manipulated several women for his own personal gain to fund his lavish lifestyle and online social media persona. Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm, and Ayleen Charlotte star in the documentary, detailing how they were swept off their feet before being finessed into getting credit cards and loans for top tier finesser Shimon, which they are still in debt for to this day.

According to Variety, the women are hoping to use the popularity from the documentary to raise money to clear their debts.

“You’re probably here because you’ve heard about our story, and we appreciate you taking the time to search and find this page,” the women write on GoFundMe. “The past few days have been a whirlwind, and we three (Ayleen, Pernilla and Cecilie) have been completely shocked and floored by the flood of compassion and support from everyone. The sheer love is more than we ever expected, and we appreciate you all so much.”

“After careful consideration, and many chats, we have decided to start this GoFundMe fundraiser. So many people reached out to us asking if we had one, and it hadn’t occurred to us to make one prior to this,” the women add. “However, we’ve spotted plenty of fakes, which makes us uneasy. We don’t want more people getting defrauded. We realize there are a thousand other worthy causes to donate to, and remain forever grateful if you choose to donate to this one. All we want are our lives back.”

The goal for the ladies is set around £600,000 (around $812,000) and in the first three days, they have raised £38,138 and counting (roughly $52,000) from 1,800 donations. At first, you might think, “Why would anyone donate to help them when they should have been smarter?” But, keep in mind, this is probably more common than you think and strikes a chord with people who’ve been victims on a smaller scale.

If you would like to donate, you can view the GoFundMe here.