32. The Match (Simon Leviev)

Taking on a DIY job around the house is the ultimate summer project.

But if your DIY home security system is a beware of dog sign when your real pet is Princess the Cat, that's safe-ish.

To be actually safe, help protect your home with a DIY system from ADT.

It's easy to install and gives you virtual assistance from ADT's technical support team.

Best of all, you can tell everyone in the neighborhood you set it up yourself.

Don't settle for safe-ish this summer.

DIY with ADT instead.

Visit ADT.com to learn more.

Support for Swindled comes from Honey Love.

It's officially cozy season.

Soft sweaters, layered looks, comfort on every level.

But if your bra still feels like medieval body armor, it's time for an upgrade.

Honey Love makes the best wireless bras you will ever wear.

Seriously, no wires, no digging straps, no weird bulges, just support that actually feels good.

Think you'll miss the structure of an underwire?

Think again.

Honey Love's smart design does all the lifting and shaping without any of the pain.

Honestly, it's the first bra you won't rip off the second you get home.

You can wear them under a sweater, on a night out, even just lounging around the house, and every time, you'll forget you're even wearing it.

This is the bra you'll actually enjoy wearing.

Honey Love's crossover bra will be your new go-to.

But their new cloud embrace wireless t-shirt bra sold out in a few days for a reason.

It feels like a cloud against your skin.

And they don't just stop at bras.

They've got shapewear, tanks, and leggings that are just as comfortable and supportive.

Treat yourself to the most comfortable and innovative bras on earth and save 20% off site-wide at honeylove.com slash swindled.

Use our exclusive link to get 20% off.

honeylove.com slash swindled.

After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them.

Please support our show show and tell them we sent you.

Experience the new standard in bras with honey love.

I want our love to flourish with unrequited fire and passion while we're apart.

I yearn to look into your eyes the way that lovers do

and hear you whisper,

I

love you.

In early 2012, a 54-year-old social worker, grandmother, and mother of four named Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto began communicating online with a member of the United States Special Forces named Captain Daniel Smith.

Maria at the time was living in Sydney, Australia with her husband, in a marriage that had grown, as Maria described, quote, a bit sour in recent years.

Along comes Captain Smith, a man who made her feel loved and wanted, a man who sent her love letters and poems.

A man who was interested in her life and actually listened to what she had to say.

Maria said that Captain Smith would even call her up to five times a day just to sing love songs to her.

The two had been chatting and exchanging photos online daily for over a year, when in September 2013, their relationship took a serious turn.

Maria received a message from Captain Smith that read, quote, I have searched my heart and find out that you are not happy in your married life.

Therefore, I want to ask your hand in marriage.

Maria couldn't believe it.

Yes, of course.

Of course Maria would marry this man.

And And she was willing to divorce her husband and meet Captain Daniel Smith anywhere in the world.

And Maria told him as much.

After all, life is short.

Maria deserved to be happy, too.

The following day, Captain Smith replied, quote, Thank you, my love, for your answer.

I am so happy, my love.

I will love and cherish you like no other man.

When are you going out, honey?

What about the Western Union?

When are you going to send the money?

Oh yeah, the money.

Every now and then, in between serenades and sweet nothings, Captain Smith would ask Maria to loan him a few bucks for whatever reason, and Maria would happily oblige.

Anything to help her future husband.

Maria would ask her son Napoleon to help her wire the cash.

Over time, those little transfers had amounted to more than $18,000, almost every penny Maria had.

Napoleon wasn't surprised that his mother would empty out her pockets to help a friend.

That's just the kind of person she was.

But, he wondered, who could she possibly know in West Africa?

In December 2014, after almost two years of correspondence, Captain Smith asked Maria if she would travel to Shanghai, China to meet one of his colleagues so that she could sign his retirement papers from the Army.

The sooner that Captain Smith retired, the sooner he and Maria could spend the rest of their lives together.

Maria packed her bags and flew to China without hesitation.

In Shanghai, Maria met with the colleague, signed the papers, and was handed a black backpack that belonged to Captain Smith.

Maria was told that it contained her future husband's clothes and that it needed to be delivered to Melbourne as soon as possible.

So with the backpack in tow, Maria boarded a return flight to Australia that included a layover in Malaysia where she was supposed to switch planes to make her connecting flight.

Maria exposto wasn't the most seasoned traveler, and it doesn't take much to get lost in an airport.

especially one on foreign soil.

When she landed in Malaysia, instead of remaining in the terminal and locating the gate for a connection, Maria followed the other passengers through customs and immigration, ultimately exiting the airport as if Malaysia was her final destination.

When it was her turn in line, Maria voluntarily handed her carry-on luggage to the security agent to be inspected by an X-ray machine.

Maria's first bag was scanned and passed through with no problem.

Her second bag, however, the black backpack that belonged to Captain Daniel Smith, was flagged for a manual search.

Security agents noticed that under the X-ray, the backpack seemed to contain some kind of green substance.

Under closer inspection, the inside of the bag contained nothing but clothes as promised, but agents noticed that there was a crude stitching of pink and brown thread on the back.

The stitching was removed to reveal a secret compartment sewn into the lining.

Inside of that secret compartment was two gray packages.

Gray packages that contained over a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine.

Maria Exposto was arrested on the spot for drug trafficking.

How are you, Maria?

Maria, you're talking to the stranger's face.

Maria, why are you covering yourself?

Maria, why are you covering yourself?

Maria, do you have a message for your poor son?

Maria!

Anyone that has ever met Maria knows that she had no idea what was in that backpack.

That search in Malaysia was the first time Maria Exposto had ever seen drugs in real life.

Her sons recalled their mother threatening to kill them herself if she ever found out that they had been using.

Maria Exposto had been set up.

She had been used as an unsuspecting drug mule.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Captain Daniel Smith was never made aware that Maria had been arrested because Captain Daniel Smith never existed.

Yes, she is.

She was a victim from this internet romance scheme.

Who she thought she was corresponding with was not actually the person that she says, Dan Smith.

That's based on our investigation.

Based on their own investigation, Maria's defense attorneys concluded that in reality, Captain Daniel Smith was probably a gang of thieves in West Africa who had manipulated a vulnerable woman.

The photographs of the handsome American military captain that had been used to fool Maria were actually photos of a British naval officer.

And that voice she heard serenading her over the phone belonged to a faceless criminal in Ghana.

Maria had been scammed.

But luckily, after spending three years in prison waiting for her trial, Maria's defense team was able to prove in court that she was a victim.

The court believed the testimony of Maria

in that she was an innocent carrier.

She was tricked into carrying the bag because of what we now call the internet scam,

the internet romance.

Maria Exposto was found not guilty of drug trafficking in December 2017.

After her acquittal, Maria was taken into custody by immigration officials who were planning to deport her back to Australia.

Friends are supporting me for the years

to my family and wish them a health,

happy Christmas and Happy New Year.

Really delighted, Maria.

I am.

How do you feel, Maria?

Because you just couple with.

I'm happy now that I'm happy.

Finally, you get to go home to Australia.

It's been a horrible three years for you.

Maria, did you always know that you would be inquisitive?

Did you always know you're going to be in the peace?

No, I'm afraid.

But before Maria could be deported, the prosecutors appealed the judge's decision, which meant that Maria would have to remain in Malaysia until their appeal was heard.

And she had to remain behind bars because because she could not afford to pay the bill.

Almost six months later, on May 24th, 2018, Maria Exposto's case was reviewed by a panel of three judges.

Today, the judges in the appeal handed down their decision, and it was a shock for everybody.

They found her guilty as convicted, and they said in their judgment: the only sentence under law was death by hanging.

Death by hanging.

Under Malaysia's draconian drug laws, execution is the mandatory sentence for anyone found to be in possession of more than 50 grams of any controlled substance.

It's a law in which Malaysia has historically and strictly upheld.

Since 1960, Malaysia has hanged more than 400 drug offenders.

In fact, Maria Exposto would not even be the first Australian to be hanged.

In 1986, Malaysia executed two Australian nationals for smuggling heroin across its border.

Another Australian was was hanged for the same thing in 1993.

Maria Exposto had followed her heart straight into the executioner's gallows.

She's currently on death row in Malaysia where she could be waiting on Judgment Day for a long time.

A former Malaysian executioner told the Daily Mail that he's seen some inmates wait up to 11 years in prison before they are put to death.

And he described what Maria can expect when that day finally comes.

Maria will be given a 24-hour notice that she is now living her last day on earth.

She will be awakened at dawn if she sleeps at all and led down a long hallway.

The only things she will hear are her own footsteps.

The rest of the prison will be eerily silent with prayers.

Maria will ascend the steps.

She might make eye contact with her family if they decide to accept the invitation to watch.

The noose will be placed around her neck and tightened, and the trapdoor beneath her feet will disappear, fade to black.

And for what?

For making a mistake while blinded by love.

Maria Exposto is appealing her death sentence, and not all hope is lost.

In recent years, Malaysia has shown an effort to move past the barbaric laws of its past, although there is seemingly insurmountable opposition from those that think just because laws are written on old paper with old ink that they are unadaptable and sacred.

So for now, it is unclear what will happen to Maria Exposto.

There is one other chance for Maria Exposto.

The Home Minister with Malaysia's new government wants to get rid of the the death penalty.

If her appeal fails, then the death penalty is repealed.

All she'll face is a very long time in prison.

Not counting physical or sexual violence.

What happened to Maria has to be one of the worst case scenarios imaginable when it comes to an online romance gone bad.

But even then, her situation isn't entirely unique.

Another Australian, 64-year-old John Warwick, died in a Chinese prison in 2015 after he was duped by an online lover into transporting meth.

New Zealander Sharon Armstrong was tricked into smuggling cocaine and spent two and a half years in Argentinian prison.

British professor Paul Frampton was sentenced to almost five years in Buenos Aires for unknowingly transporting drugs as well.

It just goes to show you how common these internet romance scams have become worldwide.

Not just for recruiting drug mules, but in general, identity theft, blackmail, extortion.

The internet has given rise to a whole new frontier of con artistry that manifests in an unlimited number of variations, all of which are intended to extract money from the mark.

The victims of these scams are usually left embarrassed by their own actions.

It leaves otherwise reasonable people dumbfounded by their own decisions.

What they did was naive.

It was stupid.

It was beautiful.

Vulnerability is the foundation of love, isn't it?

Opening yourself up to someone so much that all common sense goes out the window because you have faith that that person only has good intentions and won't destroy you.

But sometimes they do.

Sometimes emotionally, sometimes financially, sometimes both.

Typically, like in Maria's case, the scam was perpetrated by an imposter behind a screen that the victim will never meet.

But sometimes that person on the other end is real.

You can see them, you can hear them, you can touch them.

And they are everything you've been waiting for.

An international businessman emotionally manipulates and defrauds multiple women in order to sustain his life of lies.

On this episode of Swindled,

they bribed government officials

to clear violations of decade state law, clearly unethical, pay to play billions of taxpayer dollars that were wasted.

Dumbing up the table records into high private sector.

The show was sponsored by BetterHelp.

We've all been there, vinting to the group chat, unloading on our barista, or oversharing with a stranger in a bathroom line.

And while those people are great listeners in the moment, let's be honest, they're not trained to help us with anxiety, depression, or relationship issues.

That's where BetterHelp comes in.

BetterHelp has been helping people find their right match for over 10 years with a 4.9 rating across 1.7 million client session reviews.

Their therapists are fully licensed, clinically trained, and work under a strict code of conduct.

And instead of leaving it to chance, BetterHelp does the matching work for you, using a quick questionnaire to connect you with one of over 30,000 therapists.

If it's not the right fit, you can switch at any time, no extra cost.

It's all online, totally flexible, and has already helped more than 5 million people worldwide.

Therapy when you need it, at the click of a button.

As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise.

Find the one with BetterHelp.

Our listeners get 10% off the first month at betterhelp.com/slash swindled.

That's betterhelph-e-l-p.com/slash swindled.

Cecilia Schroeder-Fjelhe was a busy woman.

The 29-year-old from Lillestrom, Norway, was living in London and working full-time as a user experience designer while trying to finish grad school.

She had very little time to socialize or date.

Her chances of meeting new people were limited.

Such is the life of the young professional.

So one Saturday evening at home in January 2018, Cecilia opened the Tinder dating app on her phone for some mindless entertainment.

For those of you who don't know, Tinder is the innovative dating app where users swipe through short profiles and photographs of people that are geographically near to them in hopes of finding true love or, depending on their personal motivations, at the very least, a good time.

A swipe to the left means you're not interested and that you'd never want to see that person's face or the weird bathroom selfies ever again.

While a swipe to the right means that you like what you see.

And if that person you swiped right on eventually swipes right on you, a match is made.

And the two mutually interested parties are invited to chat with one another through the app.

It's not that complicated.

The complications usually come later.

Sometimes the two matches light a fire, hence the name Tinder.

Very clever.

And other times you might find yourself filing a restraining order.

Results may vary.

After swiping left through what I can only assume were hundreds of profiles of human garbage, Cecilia finally came across a profile that piqued her interest.

This guy Simon comes up on my phone and you can see that he lives a very different life than what I'm living.

He had some selfies, a picture in a nice car.

You could see that it was a private jet, just an overall package.

Simon, the overall package, was 28 years old from Tel Aviv Israel.

His profile said he was the CEO of LLD Diamonds.

And judging by his featured photographs, the dude definitely had money.

One of the photos on Simon's profile showed him holding a phone up to his ear, undoubtedly conducting very important business.

Coincidentally, that photo was also a perfect shot of his expensive watch.

In another, Simon is seated in what is obviously a private jet, seatbelt buckled, designer outfit, phone in hand, different, expensive watch.

Seemed like a busy man.

Cecilia swiped right.

and it was a match.

The two chatted briefly on the app before moving the conversation to the WhatsApp messaging platform.

And within minutes, Simon was inviting Cecilia to meet for coffee the next morning at the Four Seasons Hotel at Park Lane, where he was staying.

Simon told her that he was in London for business and wouldn't be staying long, so this might be their only chance to meet.

Cecilia arrived at the hotel and waited for a date in the lobby.

Simon eventually appeared before her, and he was just as handsome as his photographs depicted, and even more charming.

Immediately, Cecilia felt that there was a connection between them.

Hey, this guy actually is really nice and funny and

yes, someone that I could date and like maybe have something with.

Cecilia asked Simon about his job and he told her he worked with diamonds.

He told her his name was Simon Levaev, the son of Lev Levaev, Israel's well-known king of diamonds, which made Simon, quote, the prince of diamonds.

a title that required constant travel and inherent danger.

But with risk comes reward.

Simon's lifestyle and fashion choices made it clear that he was very wealthy.

After finishing their cups of coffee, Simon led Cecilia back into the hotel lobby to meet his team.

He introduced one man as his business partner.

Another woman appeared to be his secretary or some kind of personal assistant.

And there was another much larger tattooed man with an Eastern European accent that Simon introduced as his bodyguard.

Simon told Cecilia that he and his staff were preparing to fly to Bulgaria later that night for a meeting, and he invited her to tag along.

The invitation caught Cecilia off guard, and she was hesitant to accept.

Traveling internationally on a stranger's private jet was not something that she would typically agree to do.

Then again, it's not something that she typically would ever be invited to do.

She told Simon that she wasn't sure she should go because she needed to work on her thesis, to which he replied, no problem, you can work on the plane.

Cecilia had to admit it, she really liked this guy, but she felt comfortable knowing that there would be other people, especially other women, making the trip with them.

Before she knew it, there she was, 30,000 feet in the air with a group of people she had just met.

When they arrived in Bulgaria just after 10 p.m., a driver took them straight to a Hilton hotel.

After a pleasant stay, Cecilia flew home to London the next day, while Simon traveled to a different country on business.

But he returned to London a week later for a second visit.

This was the first time where I felt, oh my god, I really like him, and it seems that he really likes me back as well.

You like the feeling of being liked.

Simon definitely liked Cecilia.

He texted her every day with messages like, Good morning, dear.

Did you sleep well?

And he sent audio and video messages where he poured the cheese on, extra heavy.

It never feels this way, never.

If you will ever tell me,

I won't even imagine it or even believe it.

And I couldn't agree more.

Thinking about a lot, about you.

Want to spend some time together, go to a warm place, kiss you, hug you.

How was your day?

You're pregnant.

Good night, my love.

I miss you so much.

I can't wait to see you.

I will support you.

I will help you.

And we will lift each other.

You're nice, you're cute, you're sweet.

You let me to do what I need to do, and I really, really, really appreciate it.

I wish you a great and a beautiful and a successful and amazing day as you.

Peace Kisses.

Kisses.

This Simon Leviath guy seemed too good to be true, and Cecilia definitely had her doubts.

This jet-setting, young, handsome millionaire probably had a different lady in every country.

How could he not?

Cecilia wasn't naive, but there was one fact about Simon that made her feel more at ease and secure.

Simon was always available.

No matter where in the world he was currently located or what time of day, Simon would respond to Cecilia almost instantaneously with his trademarked charisma.

He made it clear that she was his main priority.

Maybe true love is real after all.

But pretty soon, Simon's business began interfering with pleasure.

He told Cecilia that he would be unable to return to London for the time being because of work, and that he would unfortunately not be able to visit for her 30th birthday.

Today, unfortunately, I won't come.

I thought so I will.

I have a lot, a lot of things to do.

However, Simon Levive really knows how to soften a blow.

In place of his presence, Simon had 100 red roses and chocolates delivered to the birthday girl.

Happy birthday till 100, like 20.

I wish you all the best, really, the best of everything.

I told your wishes will become true.

So really, I wish you huge success and everything.

Good night, take care, and happy birthday.

Cecilia had never received such an extravagant and thoughtful gift from a boyfriend.

This Simon guy was definitely too too good to be true.

Support for swindled comes from Delete Me.

Delete Me makes it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable.

It's easier than ever to look up someone's home address, phone number, even their relatives' names with just a few clicks and that information can have very real consequences whether it's identity theft, harassment, or being targeted just for voicing an opinion online.

As someone with an active online presence, I know how unsettling it feels to realize that strangers might have access to details about my personal life.

That's why I use Delete Me to help keep that information off the internet and protect my privacy before it can be exploited.

Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me.

Now at a special discount for our listeners.

Get 20% off your Delete Me plan when you go to joindeleteme.com slash swindled and use promo code swindle.checkout.

The only way to get 20% off is to go to joindeleteme.com/slash swindled and enter code swindle.checkout.

That's joindeleteme.com/slash swindled code swindled.

Cecilia and Simon had only been dating a month, but things were getting pretty serious.

Simon was already addressing Cecilia as his future wife, and Cecilia was sending video tours of luxury apartments in London for the two of them to rent together.

Their long-distance relationship was flourishing, but she was looking forward to having him closer.

But in the meantime, Simon had the means to make it work.

In February 2018, Cecilia traveled home to Norway for a work conference, and to her surprise, she received a text from Simon announcing that he too was in Oslo, but only for a few hours, just so he could see her.

Cecilia was beyond excited.

She could not believe that Simon had gone out of his way and spent, presumably, thousands of dollars for a short visit just because he missed her.

Or, so that's what she thought at the time.

In retrospect, it was clear that Simon had an ulterior motive.

The day after their visit in Oslo, Simon asked Cecilia for a favor.

I would like to ask you a favor.

If you have an American Express credit card or something, I can link it to my account and then it's not basically under my name ever since.

So then basically nobody really knows everything.

Of course I will cover up everything that you need to be there in advance, but yeah, that would be great.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

Because of the dangerous nature of the diamond business, Simon told Cecilia that his security team was concerned that his competition and adversaries were tracking his movements through his spending and had instructed him to avoid leaving a digital trail.

Simon told Cecilia that it wasn't that big of a deal.

Such circumstances were normal in his industry and that he would get it all straightened out as soon as possible.

But in the meantime, he needed her help.

It was for his own protection.

For starters, Simon told Cecilia that he needed her to apply for an American Express platinum credit card and to report her annual income as $200,000 when doing so.

The inflated salary would ensure a higher credit limit on the card, which Simon would need to sustain his daily operations.

Cecilia told Simon that her annual income was nowhere near $200,000 a year and that American Express would never approve of it.

But Simon insisted and assured her that no one at American Express would even bother to check.

Simon was correct.

Cecilia was approved for the card.

She gave it to Simon two weeks later, in early March, when she met him in Amsterdam.

I miss you.

Thank you for everything you're doing for me.

I really, really appreciate it.

And thank you for everything.

And please keep me posted and we will be in touch.

Somebody sleep, and we will talk tomorrow.

Cecilia trusted Simon, especially financially.

If he could afford to board a private jet to Oslo for an hour, he could afford to pay her back, right?

Besides, the credit limit was only $200,000.

That's nothing for someone like Simon Leviath, the Prince of Diamonds.

And the credit card was critical for his safety.

How could Cecilia say no?

Even if the threats were over-exaggerated, for Cecilia, the temporary death was worth the peace of mind.

A few weeks later, Cecilia received a message from Simon that proved that the threats against him were very real.

It contained photos and videos of Simon and his bodyguard in the back of an ambulance.

Simon appeared unharmed, but the bodyguard was bleeding from the back of his head.

Simon told Cecilia that they were having a night out in Denmark, just minding their own business, when an unknown assailant randomly attacked them.

It was proof that Simon had a constant target on his back.

It made Cecilia nervous, nervous, and it bought Simon a little more time.

Because, in addition to Simon's safety, there was something else that was making Cecilia nervous, and that was her rapidly accumulating debt.

From March 2nd to March 25th of 2018, Simon had charged more than $75,000 on the American Express card that was in Cecilia's name, and Cecilia had yet to receive any kind of reimbursement.

According to the credit card statements, Simon had used the card at designer stores in Bangkok and Barcelona.

He had stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin, and he had been paying the airfare for his entire team for flights to Tel Aviv, Paris, New York, Dubai, and more.

Simon would stall every time Cecilia inquired about being repaid.

He would always ask for another week or give her some date in the future.

One text from Simon to Cecilia read, quote, I promise you it will finish max on May 1st, 2018.

I give you my word.

and I give you your card back and everything no matter what will be my security status.

But it was more than just the American Express card that Cecilia was worried about.

Within three months of meeting, she had taken out loans from 10 different banks to help Simon.

In total, including the charges on her Amex, Cecilia had loaned Simon a total of 2.1 million Norwegian krona, about 240,000 US dollars.

In fact, Cecilia and Simon's entire relationship now seemed to revolve around money.

and Cecilia was sick of it.

In a series of texts to Simon, she wrote, I'm done talking about money with you.

I know you are too.

Our relationship has been 99% of business and money, and I'm just so sad.

I just really need a bank transfer to come through.

The bank transfer she is referring to is one for $500,000 for which Simon had sent her a receipt.

A receipt from TD Bank showing that he had transferred the money to Cecilia's personal account at DNB Bank.

It was a receipt for a transfer that never came through.

Cecilia was frustrated, but not ready to to give up.

She was going to give Simon one last chance to prove to her how much he cared.

She created a Facebook event for a lunch in Oslo for the weekend of April 21st, and she invited her friends and family.

Simon told Cecilia that he would be there and that he could not wait to meet everybody.

He even talked to Cecilia's mother on the phone.

But when that day arrived, Simon never showed up.

Instead, he sent a text to Cecilia that read, I'm so upset.

I want to see you.

I miss you, love.

I'm sorry, but I must finish this shit.

Cecilia replied, I'm also sorry.

Everyone was looking forward to seeing you, and I feel a bit stupid.

And before the new wound even had a chance to heal, Simon asked Cecilia for more money.

And that was it.

Cecilia Fjelhia cut off all contact with Simon Leviath.

She blocked his number and social media.

There was nothing left to say.

The debt was one thing, but most of all, she was heartbroken.

Hugs and kisses had turned into accounts and credit cards.

What happened?

I think that's the hardest part of it.

Like when I realized that he wasn't who he said he was, was the love aspect that the person that I thought that I knew and loved, he had just done this in the most evil way.

A few weeks later, In early May, American Express visited Cecilia at her office and told her exactly what had happened.

Two guys from American Express come to you and said that

that's him.

That's the guy.

They told me that they had had long investigations on him already and that I was a string of four or five women.

I almost wanted to throw up.

Everything just came crushing down at once.

They told her that Simon Levayev used to be named Shimon Hayut until he had it legally changed.

and that he was a notorious fraudster with a history of complaints.

Apparently Simon had been running some kind of online dating Ponzi scheme where he would use one lover's funds to court another.

For example, Cecilia discovered that Simon had charged $10,000 on her credit card to take a Swedish woman named Pernila Holholm to the opera in Amsterdam and that Pernila was just one of many.

Cecilia was devastated.

In an interview with ABC News, she described the toll the revelation took on her mental health.

Yeah, I had to be put into a psychiatric ward because of suicidal thoughts.

I didn't see a way out.

You lost your boyfriend, and not in that he just dumped you.

You didn't never existed.

He was never your boyfriend.

And the threats she had received from Simon weren't helping either.

The day after Cecilia had cut him off, Simon worried that she had grown wise and would report him to the police.

He called her phone from a blocked number and left a voicemail that was ominous in tone.

He said, quote,

Hey, I want to tell you something.

You can't just disappear and think that everything is all right.

So,

just watch out, because for every action, there will be a reaction.

all made from premium materials built for this time of year.

We're talking merino wool that keeps you warm when it's cold but cool when it's warm.

Sapima cotton that's softer, stronger, and more breathable than the regular stuff.

And even rag wool, the thick, durable, classic cozy sock that's practically made for fall.

And it's not just socks.

Bombas has slippers too.

The sharper lined Sunday slippers that make it hard to leave the house.

The gripper slippers, perfect for travel, even waterproof Friday slides.

But here's the best part.

For every item you buy, Bombas donates one to someone experiencing homelessness.

That's over 150 million items donated so far.

And with their happiness guarantee, if you're not 100% satisfied, they'll make it right.

No risk, all reward.

I've worn Bombas for years, and honestly, they've outlasted every pair of socks in my drawer.

They stay soft, they don't sag, and it feels good knowing my purchase helps someone else.

Head over to bombas.com/slash audio and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase.

That's bombbas.com slash audio.

Code audio at checkout.

Less than a week after her meeting with American Express, Cecilia filed a complaint with the Norwegian police and later the British police.

Neither were very helpful, but in Norway she was questioned for less than two hours and the case was closed three months later without any further investigation.

A spokesperson for the Norwegian police said the case was dropped because due to the recent departure of many of the department's investigators, they lacked the capacity to handle it.

For the police, Cecilia's case simply wasn't a priority, but she was determined not to let Simon just get away with it.

So with nowhere else to turn and completely frustrated, Cecilia submitted a tip to Viji, a Norwegian tabloid newspaper, asking for help in telling her story, even though it was a story that Cecilia was not very eager to share.

She knew that she would be judged harshly by the public.

She knew that she would be called foolish and naive and crazy.

What she had done was embarrassing, and Cecilia would be the first one to admit to that.

But at the very least, She wanted to make Simon's name and voice and face publicly known.

She wanted to step forward and expose him and his game to the world in hopes that any future recurrent victims could avoid the living hell in which she currently resided.

A choice that, in my opinion, takes courage.

Cecilia provided Viji with full access into her private life.

She gave him all of the messages she had exchanged with Simon during their brief relationship, and she sat down for a recorded interview.

detailing the biggest mistake of her life.

What followed was six months of intensive research by the Viji staff, led by journalists Natalie Ramua-Hansen, Erland Ofty Arnson, and Christopher Kumar, who then enlisted an investigative journalist in Israel named Yuri Blau to dig deep into the past of Shimon Hayut, and there was plenty of dirt to be found.

The con artist, formerly known as Shimon Hayut, was the son of a rabbi who grew up in a poor ultra-Orthodox suburb of Tel Aviv, Israel.

Because of problems at home in 2006, Shimon at 15 years old left Israel to live with the Cobans, friends of the Hayute family who lived in Brooklyn, New York.

Two years later, when the Cobans went on vacation to Florida, Shimone stayed behind in Brooklyn and in a span of three days spent more than $42,000 on international flights, fancy dinners, shopping sprees, and hotel stays.

And he paid for all of it using the Coban's credit card.

When Avi Coban received a phone call from his bank while at Disney World, he left the rest of the family behind in Florida and returned to New York immediately.

When he arrived, Shimon Hayut had already fled to Israel.

In 2010, when Shimon was 20 years old, he was hired through an agency to babysit an affluent couple's five-year-old son.

Three months into the job, the mother of the child received a call from her bank alerting her about a suspicious check they had received from their account.

It was for 50,000 shekels and it appeared to be forged.

The mother texted Shimon to let him know that she would need him to watch their son a little longer than usual that day because she had to stop by the police station on the way home.

When the mother arrived home later that afternoon, she found her five-year-old son abandoned in a stairwell and Shimon Hayut was nowhere to be found.

There was another incident later that year in which Shimone, now working as a handyman, stole blank checks from a businessman whose house he was working on.

Shimon forged one of the checks for 250,000 shekels, about $70,000, and used the funds to buy a Porsche, which he had fraudulently registered to his own brother without his knowledge.

Shimon used another check to pay for a civilian flight course that he never completed, but it wasn't a complete waste of time.

In class, Shimon befriended a fellow student, who he then defrauded for $150,000 under the guise of a clothing import scheme.

Shimon Hayyud's crimes eventually caught up with him.

He was arrested and his trial was set to begin in 2012.

But in late 2011, Shimon purchased a fake passport for 10,000 shekels and used it to flee Israel to avoid standing trial.

Sometime over the next three years, between 2012 and 2015, Shimon Hayut became Simon Leviath.

He developed his new Tinder scheme and recruited a team to help him execute it.

The bodyguard, the business partner who is said to be a childhood friend, the Dutch woman who introduces herself as Simon's personal assistant, and the other woman that was always tending to a child, which allegedly belongs to Simon.

Who are these people?

Have they been conned to?

Probably not.

By all accounts, it appears that they are just as complicit in the con as Simon himself.

They accept payments on his behalf, drum up phony security threats, and then bail him out when he gets into trouble.

Simon's team has it down to a science, and for the most part, Simon has escaped any real consequences for his actions.

Although in 2015, Simon was arrested in Finland for defrauding at least three different women, and he was sentenced to three years in prison.

But after posting bail, Finland extradited Simon back to Israel, where sentencing for his past crimes awaited.

And for the second time, Simon disappeared before his day in court.

It was a few months later when he met Cecilia Fjalhe.

Six months after that, he was on the run again.

In Tel Aviv, journalists for Vijay had Israeli authorities confirm Simon's identity using photographs, and they were able to track down Simon's mother at the family's apartment.

She claimed to have been estranged from Simon for 10 years and had no idea on his whereabouts.

But Vijay did not give up there.

In order to find him, the journalists contacted Pernila Holholm, the Swedish woman whose night at the opera was paid for by Cecilia via Simon.

Pernila was shocked and disgusted when she was informed that Simon had been ripping off other women because Simon had ripped her off too, for almost $50,000 and plane tickets to Bangkok.

And coincidentally, Pernila was planning to meet him in Munich so that he could pay her back.

Simon had promised to give her one of his expensive watches to serve as repayment.

Pernilia agreed and shared the location of her meeting with Simon to Vijay so they could record footage of him secretly.

When Pernila returned to her home in Stockholm and had the watch appraised, She was told that it was counterfeit and completely worthless.

After that, Bernila agreed to confront Simon, and she agreed to travel to Oslo to let PG document it.

I'm alright, Benil.

Um,

I'm not so good, Simon.

What is it?

Can you just tell me the truth?

I know you've been in jail in Finland.

I know you've refrained.

I know that you've frauded so many people, okay?

will pay for that for the rest of your life.

And I can't do it.

I am paying for the rest of my life.

You took everything I have.

This is your mistake.

This is your mistake.

The Israeli police have confirmed you with your picture.

It's what?

Nobody has consulted anything because it's not true.

I had a flight to Amsterdam, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, who paid for that?

I paid it.

No, you didn't.

I have the transaction of

the ticket ticket and it's paid by another woman.

Because due to my enemies, I couldn't use my own, and I am paid to these people's cash.

I did give them money.

Samuel, you can't keep doing this.

Like,

it's crazy.

I mean, what if you're done?

It's real short.

And it's going to be a price for it.

And I promise you, it's going to be bigger than money.

What do you mean, the price?

I am telling you that you double-cross me, you're going to pay for it.

On February 16th, 2019, BG published their special report about Simon Leviev and his victims.

It's titled The Tender Swindler, and it has become the most viewed story in the history of the newspaper.

I highly recommend you check it out.

You can find a link to it in the show notes of this episode.

Despite multiple attempts, BG was never able to persuade Simon to talk to them.

But when ABC News followed up with a report of their own, they were able to communicate with Simon through text.

He said he was in Panama and denied any wrongdoing towards Cecilia, writing, quote, There's nothing here, just a loan between friends that went south.

She agreed to loan me money, and then she disappeared, not answering phones or emails or letters before we were able to pay them back.

They used me for my life and got expensive gifts and everything.

In other words, gold diggers.

When I asked help, they agreed to help, and they know I have some problems.

I didn't run from no one.

It's all fake news and lies.

I'm very very tired about crying over this, you know.

But it just comes and just, I can't help it.

It's just so painful.

Because I hate myself or the like, I just hate that I did this, you know.

When I'm reading the messages, I as well see how much talk there is about the banks.

And like, then I'm just like, you're so stupid, you know.

With the help of her mother, Cecilia Fjelge has tried to remain strong through it all.

while her enormous debt continues to accrue interest.

Cecilia says her credit has been frozen, she can't afford a lawyer, and she had to sell her apartment in Oslo.

She has tried disputing the validity of her debts by providing documentation to the banks that proves that she was pressured and threatened into applying for the loans, which, under the United Kingdom's Contracts Act, should render it invalid.

But so far, only one of the financial institutions has agreed.

But Cecilia is doing her best to turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Since her dramatic experience, Cecilia has borrowed words from Simon's threats.

She launched an organization named Action Reaction to support those who find themselves in a similar situation and to change society's perception of the victims of these types of crimes.

Cecilia is also pushing for a more consistent and more ethical banking industry that awards loans based on due diligence and verifiable information rather than meaningless numbers on a form.

Both Cecilia and Bernila, who have since bonded and have remained supportive of one another throughout the ordeal, are convinced that there are more of Simon's victims who have yet to come forward.

They both agree that he comes across as a very thoughtful person who people are willing to help, and that's what makes him so dangerous.

Simon Levaev is currently wanted in Israel and the United Kingdom, and there are ongoing investigations in Germany, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands.

Additionally, Lev Levaev, the king of diamonds, who Simon was pretending to be related to, has filed a complaint of his own.

Since Fiji's report, Simon has laid low.

Even his lawyer claims to have lost contact with him in the past few months.

So maybe you can help find him.

Go to the swindled Instagram page, look at his face, remember it, and keep an eye out for him the next time you're swiping your heart out.

He manages to do this because he is a great guy who pretends that he cares so much for other people, so you want to care for him as well.

Breaking news.

About two weeks after this episode was recorded, at 4 p.m.

on June 28th, 2019, Shimon Hayut, aka Simon Levayev, aka the Tinder Swindler, was arrested by Interpol at Athens International Airport in Greece.

when trying to leave the country using a fake passport.

Fiji caught up with Simon as he was being escorted into court wearing handcuffs.

So, what happened in there?

Later?

What did you say?

It's about not choosing side, it's about making the truth.

Unfortunately, everything you published lately, you published a bunch of lies that had nothing to do with the reality.

The amounts, the sums, and everything are far from the reality.

And as you can see right now, I am a free man in two hours.

So it's me my innocency.

You say I'm a fraud and I'm a poser.

My name is Simon Lava, as I said, and here I am in court.

And in two hours, I'm walking out a free man.

So as I said, this is my statement.

Once you will make the facts right and not choose inside,

then we can talk and I will give you the interview that you want

Simon Levaev was sentenced to 50 days in jail and fined about 9,000 US dollars for using a false passport he is currently sitting in a Greek prison waiting to be extradited to Israel

he released a public comment that reads quote everything you have heard is a lie nothing the media writes is true in a month I will be a free man and you will get all your money back.

And by the way, the police beat me up yesterday.

When I reached out to Cecilia to celebrate the news, she simply wrote, I am so, so, so happy.

Stay tuned.

Swindled is written, researched, produced, and hosted by me, a concerned citizen, with original music by Trevor Howard.

I want to thank Cecilia Fjelhe for allowing me to share her story and participating in the process.

I wish her the best of luck in her recovery.

And special thanks to Natalie, Ramua, Hansen, and Vijay for their help as well, and my apologies for mispronouncing all of your names.

Viji has been the number one source for covering the story, and it appears that there's far more to come, so visit vg.no to stay up to date.

Go support investigative journalism.

It's important.

I also want to thank Tyler from the podcast Minds of Madness for lending that booming voice of his to the beginning of this episode.

He's a great dude and he came through in the clutch, even though the line I had him read was super cheesy.

Thanks again, Tyler.

For more information about Swindled, visit swindledpodcast.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at SwindledPodcast.

You can support the show by going to patreon.com slash swindled and joining the Valued Listener Rewards program.

For five bucks a month, valued listeners get early access to new episodes.

and exclusive access to bonus episodes.

If you sign up today, you will get instant access to all the past and future bonus episodes, including ones about Larissa Watson, the Portofino pirate, and Vinstar, the corrupt vending machine company.

On top of that, 5% of all Patreon proceeds are donated to charity every month.

It's a two-way street.

If you join Patreon, I will support you, I will help you,

and we will lift each other.

You're nice, you're cute, you're sweet.

You let me to do what I need to do, and I really, really, really appreciate it.

That's right, Simon.

Patreon.com/slash swindled.

I really, really, really appreciate it.

You can also support the show by buying something at swindledpodcast.com/slash shop.

There are stickers, patches, hats, hoodies, posters, t-shirts, and more.

Go check it out.

Swindledpodcast.com/slash shop.

If you don't want anything in return for your support, you can always simply donate using the form on the homepage.

Anything helps, I appreciate it.

Lastly, visit swindledpodcast.com slash events to see when we are coming to your town.

That's it.

Thanks for listening.

Prices and participation may vary.

Bundle and save with Expedia.

You were made to follow your favorite band, and from the front row, we were made to quietly save you more.

Expedia, made to travel.

Savings vary and subject to availability, flight inclusive packages are adult protected.