Tinder Swindlers & Inventing Anna’s – Lucy Challengers tips on how to spot a great pretender!
For the last few years con artists have been taking over the true crime genre, from
dramas and documentaries to podcasts and books, with fans gripped by shocking
tales of complex and long-running scams.
Running concurrently in the top spots on
Netflix are The Tinder Swindler, the story of Shimon Hayut who conned innocent
women into funding his lifestyle of private jets, suites at the Four Seasons and model
girlfriends, and Inventing Anna about New York’s fake German heiress, Anna
Sorokin, who infiltrated some of the city’s most elite social circles. So far, so
convincing right? Or not, according to Lucy Challenger.
Over the years, Lucy, an etiquette expert and founder of elite domestic recruitment
company Polo & Tweed, has learned much about the social codes of this exclusive
set, which is why she is certain she would be able to spot a fake heir or heiress if she
saw one…
Here are Lucy’s seven deadly signs of a faker:
Ostentatious Wardrobe – all garishly displayed designer brands and logos scream
new money. Think of Prince Charles in a beautifully tailored suit that he’s owned for
years at a wedding at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Behaviour – always ordering the most expensive item on the menu definitely
suggests someone is trying to ‘prove’ they have money. We see new money and
certain cultures being more over the top with their wealth (take a footballer for
example), so it doesn’t mean it’s a lie, it just means that they don’t have much “class”.
New Friends – do they seem to have new friends each time you see them? It’s more
typical with wealth that people have a smaller group of friends, as they keep those
whom they trust closer and typically only hang out with smaller groups. If they
constantly have new acquaintances around them, an alarm bell should ring. Social
climbing is the ultimate red flag.
Body Language – how do they behave in polite society? Do they know how to eat in
a formal environment? This etiquette would have been learnt due to an expectation
to behave in public through years of private school, dinner parties and restaurants
where they were expected to “behave”.
Talking About Money and Over-spending – do they share too much information?
People with genuine wealth, inherited or earned, will generally not talk openly about
money. They tend to be more subtle. Etiquette dictates that talking about money is
vulgar and unnecessary. The Tinder Swindler for example spent the money as soon
as he had it, he didn’t invest it.
Lack of Privacy/Social Media – doing things just to show off on social media. Fakers
will often flaunt their luxury lifestyle – whether it’s flying in private jets or getting their
clutches on the latest designer handbag – to their followers.
Dating – is it normal for someone with that sort of wealth to be on Tinder? Dating
would be within tight-lipped social circles.
