Richard Hogan: Inside the mind games of romance scammers like the 'Tinder Swindler'

An Garda Síochána released data recently showing over €800,000 was lost to romantic fraudsters in Ireland this year

(L to R) Cecilie Fjellhoy, Ayleen Charlotte and Pernilla Sjöholm all fell for the charms of the alleged con man and appeared in The Tinder Swindler. Picture: Joshua Wilks/Netflix © 2022

The Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler was fascinating viewing. One of the things that struck me about it was how people spoke about the victims of this perpetrator. From what I heard, there was very little sympathy for the women who had fallen victim to this guy’s charm and perceived wealth.

“It was their own fault, giving away their money willingly” and “you’d have to be a fool to give money to someone you barely know,” were common comments.