Finished The Tinder Swindler? Watch these nine Netflix shows about wild cons and fraud next

There’s plenty more where that came from

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By this point, you’ve watched The Tinder Swindler on Netflix and have been left wondering if it is even possible there could be more people in the world like Simon Leviev, let alone if any shows or films have been made about them. But, unfortunately the answer to the former is yes, and their stories are all over Netflix too.

There’s a whole catalogue of true crime documentaries and dramas that tell the wild stories of conmen, huge frauds and relationships which were built on lies and ended in tragedy. Here is a list of shows and films that are like The Tinder Swindler, and available to watch on Netflix right now.

The Puppet Master

Shows like The Tinder Swindler and other Netflix movies and series to watch next

via Netflix

The Puppet Master is a new true crime documentary series all about the life and crimes of Robert Hendy-Freegard. He conned at least seven women and one man out of nearly a million pounds and his crimes went undetected for years. Netflix has described the case as a “jaw-dropping story of one of the world’s most audacious conmen”.

His conning began in 1992, and he would tell people he met he was working for MI5. His victims were led to believe they were accomplices in highly elaborate secret service operations and that their families were in grave danger if they did not obey. Freegard exploited, abused and controlled them with extreme cruelty, confident his victims were too paralysed by fear to escape. He would demand his victims went into hiding and hand over money, with one person who is featured in the Netflix doc giving him £300k.

Dirty John

Shows like The Tinder Swindler and other Netflix movies and series to watch next

via Netflix

In short, The Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev is a bit of a Dirty John. Dirty John also tells the story of a man who conned and lied to those closest to him and built a fake personality who they believed was who he really was. This one is a drama, but there is also a documentary version called Dirty John: The Dirty Truth. Similarly to this, Netflix is now in talks to turn The Tinder Swindler into a movie.

Dirty John tells the true story of the life of John Meehan, a con artist. He met Debra Newall on a dating site and told her he was a doctor, which he wasn’t. Their relationship got intense very quickly, and soon he had convinced Debra to cut off her immediate family. Debra then found documents to prove his lies and detailing his previous arrests and restraining orders against women he had previously dated.

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal

via Netflix

The college admissions bribery scandal was the biggest of its kind in American history. The scheme saw William “Rick” Singer pocket $25million from parents who were desperate to get their kids into the most elite colleges in the country. More than 50 people, including celebrities and big-time CEOs, as well as coaches and admissions staff at the colleges, were caught out for being involved. Parents paid up to millions of dollars for Rick’s so-called “side door” entry to get their kids into uni.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

via Netflix

If you love a story of a big scam or con, Fyre Festival is possibly the biggest one in history. It was meant to be the best festival the world had ever seen, on a beautiful island in the Bahamas. The founder called it: “The biggest event of the decade, I promise you” and the promotional videos showed gorgeous Instagram models parading around on beaches, having parties and eating incredible food. But what greeted people who got there was a disaster scene: collapsing tents, soaked mattresses and no festival. The Netflix documentary tells the story of what happened.

Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art

Shows like The Tinder Swindler and other Netflix movies and series to watch next

via Netflix

Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art follows the events of the biggest ever art fraud case in American history. Filmmaker Barry Avrich looks at when Knoedler & Company unwittingly purchased and sold fake works by famed artists. Prestigious Knoedler Gallery then sold the art to collectors and the art world elite, in this unbelievable story of an $80million ingenious con that everyone wanted to believe was real.

Dirty Money

via Netflix

Like The Tinder Swindler, Dirty Money is another Netflix series which shows the lengths people will go to for money. It does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s all about different cases of dirty money. Think money laundering, corporate corruption, securities fraud and dodgy accounting. It’s one of Netflix’s best rated true crime documentaries to date, with a score of 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

My Lover My Killer

Shows like The Tinder Swindler and other Netflix movies and series to watch next

via Netflix

My Lover My Killer is a documentary about different murder cases where victims were killed because their relationships went wrong, and partners weren’t who they believed they were. One tells the story of a controlling taxi driver who reacted violently at the prospect of his relationship ending.

Don’t F*** With Cats

via Netflix

This one isn’t about fraud or conmen, but it’s created by the same people who are behind The Tinder Swindler and is a must-watch for true crime fanatics. Plus, if you’re looking for someone to bring you as much joy as Ayleen flogging Simon Leviev’s clothes, all you need is Baudi Moovan in this show and her incredible sleuthing ways.

Don’t F*** With Cats is definitely one of the most graphic and disturbing Netflix documentaries ever to be released, so a pre-warning, this really isn’t for the faint of heart. The three part documentary series is about a serial killer who began by posting sick videos of him torturing animals online before he ended up killing humans too. People who saw the videos were disgusted and there was soon an international manhunt to find who it was behind them.

Inventing Anna

Shows like The Tinder Swindler and other Netflix movies and series to watch next

via Netflix

Inventing Anna has literally just hit Netflix. Just like The Tinder Swindler, Inventing Anna shows the story of a con-artist who fooled people out of thousands of dollars by posing as a rich heir. It’s a dramatised version of real events, telling the story of Anna Delvey – New York’s fake heiress. Anna Sorokin is a convicted fraudster – between 2013 and 2017 she posed as a German heiress with a $67million trust fund named Anna Delvey. She scammed banks, her friends, hotels and New York’s downtown socialite scene out of thousands of dollars. The Netflix show follows a journalist who chases down the story of Anna Delvey.

For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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