The stars of “The Tinder Swindler” are speaking out.
Thursday on Global’s “Tamron Hall”, scam victims Cecilie Fjellhøy and Pernilla Sjoholm, and director Felicity Morris opened up about their experiences.
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The documentary tells the story of alleged scammer Simon Lievev, who lured in victims through dating apps.
“You should always speak up for other women especially because there is a rough world out there,” Sjoholm said of her relationship with Lievev. “And I just want to make it a little bit clearer, it wasn’t like he paid for all my travels, he also came to meet me where I was. It wasn’t always this, like, lavish lifestyle. He was a genuine true friend. We could sit down and just have a cup of coffee, go for a museum, go for a hike. So he really built like a very strong bond with you.”
She continued, “He is a narcissist, sociopath. He doesn’t look after anyone else besides himself and the only thing he cares about is money. And I can also get surprised about the amount of money he had received and by the time we exposed him, he had nothing left. And he had spent it on, like dinners and flights and travels like not even setting up a normal good life for him. I mean, for me, that was a shock as well.”
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Reacting to news that Leviev has signed with a talent manager and is hoping to launch a Hollywood career, Sjoholm said, “To be honest, I was heartbroken to see any company to collaborate with a criminal, he is wanted, still, in Europe, so he’s just hiding in Israel at the moment. I think he has crimes against him, allegations against him in the U.S, as well, but no.”
She continued, “It’s honestly heartbreaking. I mean, like, we’re coming out here, sharing our story, trying to share the world a criminal and what he’s doing and for anyone to collaborate with these types of people, like, it’s honestly, it’s very heartbreaking. Like, and to see like, he has a manager, it’s a woman. As a woman, I don’t know how you can go to bed at night. I mean, this could be your daughter that this happened to, it could be your sister, your family member that this happened to. It’s not that he scammed us, he put death threats on us. I mean, like, it’s serious things.”