If you’re looking for a new documentary TV obsession that’s a bit lighter than murder but more grounded than the Real Housewives, we suggest you turn to Netflix for your fix.
The streamer’s new series, Love Con Revenge, unpacks the realities of online dating scams and catfishing in a way that’s both smart and entertaining.
It’s already risen through the ranks to become the second most popular series on Netflix today — Watch With Us breaks down why you should watch it.
‘Love Con Revenge’ Has a Host Who Knows the Victims’ Pain
If you watched Netflix’s hit docuseries The Tinder Swindler, you’ll recognize Love Con Revenge’s host, Cecilie Fjellhøy. After losing $250,000 to serial fraudster “Simon Leviev,” whose real name is Shimon Hayut, Fjellhøy uses her knowledge and experience to help people who have fallen victim to similar schemes.
Fjellhøy told Netflix that after The Tinder Swindler came out, she heard from many women who had similar experiences. “I never imagined my personal story would resonate the way it has,” she explained. “Love Con Revenge is a way for me to use what I’ve learned to help others heal, reclaim their voices, their power, and their lives.”
The best parts of the series are Fjellhøy’s interactions with her fellow victims, during which she warmly comforts them and reminds them that falling for someone’s manipulations does not make them stupid or shameful.
The Series Combines Romance Fraud With Investigation and Crime-Solving
Cecilie Fjellhøy in ‘Love Con Revenge’ Netflix
In Love Con Revenge, Fjellhøy partners with private investigator Brianne Joseph to delve into real schemes on behalf of women and men who can’t find help through traditional avenues. Through consulting with victims, their friends and families, local law enforcement and even internet forums, they work to track down scammers and separate the truth — if there was any — from the lies.
Incredibly, one of their investigations has already resulted in an arrest and sentencing. Ricky Morrissey told his ex-girlfriend Bridget Phillips that an Army buddy died taking a bullet for him, and he needed to send money to the family he left behind. When Fjellhøy and Joseph located that family, they said it was a complete fabrication. Thanks to the investigation in Love Con Revenge, Morrissey eventually stood trial for three felony charges of fraud and larceny against Phillips and was found guilty on all three, according to Time.
Love Con Revenge shows in several instances how law enforcement is reluctant to take these cases seriously or pursue fraudsters, but Morrissey’s case is proof that scammers can be held accountable for their actions.
‘Love Con Revenge’ Offers Valuable Advice on How to Spot Scammers
Peppered throughout the six episodes of Love Con Revenge are important warnings about the strategies that romance scammers use to build trust and a sense of love in their victims, only to turn that love against them by stealing their money.
Reality TV is like candy — it’s not always the most healthy thing you can consume, but when it comes to addictions, you could certainly do worse. Plus, sometimes reality gets a bad rap. After all, the shows on Netflix range from the frothiest of dating shows, like Love Is Blind, to more culturally-minded series, like […]
If you’re in the messy and complicated world of online dating, it might behoove you to watch Love Con Revenge. You may think you’d never fall for a scam like this — but none of the victims on the show ever believed they would either. You can’t be too careful — and you might as well be entertained along the way.
