The Tinder Swindler with Ayleen Charlotte

We like to think that we're too smart to be taken advantage of by a scammer, but some are willing to invest a tremendous amount of time and effort for a payout. Many do not come forward because of the fear, shame, and victim-blaming, but that's not true with today's guest. Today's guest is Ayleen Charlotte. Ayleen was one of the women featured in the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler. She made a radical choice between victimhood or becoming a beacon of female empowerment. After what became five years of misery, she decided not only to tell her story, but to make a lifelong entrepreneurial dream come true. Show Notes: [1:20] - When Ayleen contacted, there were already other women victimized, but Ayleen was a big part of the Tinder Swindler's arrest. [2:49] - She had three goals that participating in the documentary helped achieve. [4:27] - Ayleen met this scammer five years ago and started a relationship with him. [5:19] - Because he claimed to have many enemies, he moved in with Ayleen and used her money and credit cards to "stay under the radar." [6:58] - The lavish lifestyle he lived made sense with the story he provided to the women he victimized. [8:15] - One indicator that something was wrong was that money given back to her in the form of a check would never go through. [9:40] - He always had an operation to start and Ayleen took several personal loans to help with these endeavors. [11:27] - He laid a foundation of trust with the small things. [13:15] - Ayleen says that in the beginning, he really made her feel special. The development of the relationship was going well and very believable. [14:18] - There is a big difference between this situation and other types of fraud, as there was a real relationship built. [16:15] - The Tinder Swindler used the same stories over and over again with every victim. [17:08] - Even when he had "interactions" with enemies, he would show up with real injuries. [18:15] - Some of the people on his team did not know they were part of this, although Ayleen says his bodyguard and his right-hand were aware. [19:51] - An article was released about him and Ayleen saw it and immediately knew. [21:18] - Ayleen lists some of the reasons he gave for the article being released. In this instance, Ayleen trusted the article over him. [22:43] - When he continued to ask for money, Ayleen was in contact with the police. She wound up tricking him and, in a way, taking some of her money back. [25:58] - If Ayleen didn't give him money, he made it clear that she would be in danger from his enemies. [27:18] - If someone is asking you for money and trying to push you, take a step back, shut down your phone, and think about it for a few days. [28:38] - Over time, Ayleen saw a change in character, especially when she stopped sending him money. [30:44] - The Tinder Swindler started his fraud schemes at the age of 15 and did not only target women. He swindled men as well as organizations and charities. [32:26] - He is not able to get a real job or career at this point. This is the only thing he can do and he will continue. He is still out there, living in Israel. [33:50] - The documentary has helped in slowing his scam. [35:39] - Ayleen's trust of other people has not been impacted. She knows that she has experienced the worst already. [37:29] - Ayleen says the best thing you can do in a situation like this is to talk about it. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.  Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest