{"id":16348,"date":"2025-04-29T06:23:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T06:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1413331"},"modified":"2025-04-29T06:23:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T06:23:47","slug":"tinder-swindler-survivor-launches-identity-verifier-to-fight-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=16348","title":{"rendered":"Tinder Swindler survivor launches identity verifier to fight scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Tinder Swindler survivor has launched a tool to fight the scams that upended her life. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pernilla Sj\u00f6holm, who starred in Netflix\u2019s hit documentary<\/span> The Tinder Swindler<\/span><\/i>, cofounded the platform \u2014 called <\/span>IDfier<\/span><\/a> \u2014 alongside computer scientist Suejb Memeti. <\/span><\/p>\n

Released globally today, IDfier provides a human-to-human identity verification system. The platform promises a simple yet secure way to check who you\u2019re interacting with.<\/p>\n

Users verify themselves by first scanning their passport, driver\u2019s license, or ID card with their phone camera. If the document has an NFC (near-field communication), IDfier will also scan the chip for additional security. The user then completes a quick head movement to prove they\u2019re a real person \u2014 rather than a photo, video, or deepfake.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once verified, they can send other people a request to do the same. Both of them can then choose which information to share, from their name and age to their contact number. All their data is encrypted and stored across disparate servers.<\/span><\/p>\n

IDfier was built to blend this security with precision. According to the platform, the tech is 99.9% accurate in detecting real users and blocking impersonation attempts. <\/span><\/p>\n

The team envisions the system securing endless online services, from e-commerce and email to social media and, of course, dating apps such as Tinder. Sj\u00f6holm (pronounced \u201cShuh-holm\u201d) matched with conman Simon Leviev there in 2018.<\/p>\n

Posing as the jet-setting son of a wealthy diamond merchant, Leviev cultivated a close friendship with Sj\u00f6holm. They took lavish trips together across Europe, enjoying extravagant experiences. He claimed they were funded by his family\u2019s fortune, but they were actually financed by other women scammed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Months after matching, Leviev said that \u201cenemies\u201d had placed life in danger \u2014 and he desperately needed cash.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sj\u00f6holm, a former sales worker from Sweden, was ultimately swindled out of tens of thousands of euros, leaving her bankrupt.<\/p>\n

TNW travelled to her hometown of Stockholm to hear her story \u2014 and her plans for IDfier.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the Tinder Swindler to IDfier<\/h2>\n

On a sunny afternoon in a canal-side cafe, Sj\u00f6holm told TNW that she lost even more emotionally than she did financially.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn my eyes, it shouldn\u2019t just be viewed as a fraud or a scam; it should be viewed as emotional abuse towards a victim,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you experience fraud, you feel very embarrassed, you feel a lot of shame, and there\u2019s so much hatred towards victims. I think people try to make themselves feel better by thinking that it doesn\u2019t happen to smart people and wouldn\u2019t happen to them. Actually, someone who says that is <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> likely to become a target.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tinder Swindler<\/span><\/i> brought her experience of fraud to a global audience. Released in 2022, the show became Netflix\u2019s most-watched documentary of all time. Sj\u00f6holm used her new-found fame to advocate for fraud awareness and financial security.<\/span><\/p>\n

She has since married and had twins, which led her to reflect on her line of work. <\/span>Over time, she became frustrated by the limitations of solely supporting people <\/span>after<\/span><\/i> they had been scammed. <\/span><\/p>\n

She also grew alarmed by the rapid advances in deepfakes. \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if we\u2019re interacting with a human today,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore, it was more common to take someone else\u2019s identity. Now, it\u2019s more common to use synthetic identities. It\u2019s so so easy today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Sj\u00f6holm explored new proactive directions, she was contacted by Memeti, a senior lecturer at Sweden\u2019s Blekinge Institute of Technology. He asked if she would be interested in a solution that was preventative rather than reactive. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sj\u00f6holm believed the concept could have prevented her own entrapment. \u201cWhat tool did I have to really check his identity? I didn\u2019t have one,\u201d she said. \u201cI could have one now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tinder
Sj\u00f6holm will discuss the future of fraud at TNW Conference<\/a> in June. Credit: Kalle Sund Hellman<\/figcaption>