23: The Tinder Swindler's Cecilie Fjellhøy: Losing £200k to Love and Her Fight to Expose Romance Scammers

"You wouldn't say that you fell for a burglary. It's something that happened to you. You were targeted."Cecilie Fjellhøy was the golden child. Great grades, a career in tech, a master's degree in the UK, and a hopeless romantic who believed in love. Then she swiped right on a man calling himself Simon Leviev, and in just three weeks, he ramped up £67,000 on her Amex card. By the time it was over, she had lost £200,000 in high-interest loans, filed for bankruptcy, been taken to court by four banks, and become a suspect with the UK police, all for a relationship that lasted six months.Millions of people watched her story unfold in Netflix's The Tinder Swindler, the most-watched documentary the platform has ever released. But in this episode, Emily sits down with Cecilie to get past the headlines and find out who she really is behind them, the good, the brutal, and everything in between.In this episode, we discuss:✨ How a "true gentleman" with a bodyguard, a private jet and an entire fake team became the perfect con✨ Love bombing, future faking and the psychological tactics that make anyone vulnerable, not just the naive✨ The moment she realised the money wasn't coming, and what it actually feels like in your body✨ Why she calls coming forward "the waiting room", and what stopped her from opening that door sooner✨ Rebuilding her name, her finances and her sense of self after going public✨ Turning her story into Love Con Revenge, her own Netflix series, helping other survivors✨ Why she refuses to say she "fell for" a scam, and what language actually protects victims✨ The fight she's taking to Parliament next, and why social media platforms are her biggest targetIf you've ever:Wondered how someone "smart enough to know better" ends up defraudedJudged a fraud victim, even quietly, without knowing the full storyBelieved love bombing could never happen to youFelt shame for trusting the wrong personWanted to understand what real resilience looks like after devastating lossThen this conversation will change how you see it.Cecilie isn't a victim in this story. She's the woman who turned her worst six months into a mission that's reaching millions.🎙️ Hosted by Emily Mallender, Business & Marketing Strategist, Founder of The EMpowered Collective and Creator of Visible & Paid.📧 [email protected]🌐 www.empoweredwithemily.comJOIN THE EMPIRE: www.skool.com/the-empireEMPOWERED LIVE TICKETS: https://live.empoweredwithemily.com/📖 Order Cecilie's book, Swindled Never After: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swindled-Never-After-Survived-Relationship-ebook/dp/B0DXQDVK7Y🌐 Find out more about LoveSaid, Cecilie's survivor-led organisation: https://lovesaid.org/📺 Watch Love Con Revenge on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/search?q=LOVE%20CON%20REV&jbv=81685732Keywords: Tinder Swindler, Cecilie Fjellhøy, romance fraud, romance scam survivor, Simon Leviev, Love Con Revenge Netflix, financial fraud victim, online dating scams, love bombing, LoveSaid, Swindled Never After, fraud awareness, scam survivor advocate, coercive control, romance fraud recovery, women's podcast, The EMpire Diaries, Emily Mallender, financial abuse, dating app safety, online safety UK