Don't Let Him In

Don’t Let Him In was inspired by a 2022 British true crime documentary called The Tinder Swindler. The film focuses on Israeli conman Simon Leviev and his use of the dating app Tinder to target women and con them into giving him money, under the pretext that he was in danger. Leviev appeared to be wealthy, charming, and generous, but in truth, the private jet flights, lavish meals, and expensive gifts he showered on the women were paid for with previous victims’ money.

Swindles like Leviev’s are referred to as “romance scams.” Romance scams have a very long history, but the modern world’s interconnection and easy communication via the internet have made romance scams much more common. Beginning in the late 1990s, email was used to facilitate this kind of swindle, and the advent of social media and online dating sites accelerated the trend. Today’s scammers can also take advantage of online tools to create deepfake videos, artificial voices, and other enhancements to their false online personas. Often, organized gangs of criminals are behind the romance scams taking place today—solo con artists like Simon Leviev and Don’t Let Him In’s Nick Radcliffe are much less common. These organized gangs take in billions of dollars each year from unwitting victims.

Victims of romance scammers lose more than their money: Their real-life relationships are often damaged when loved ones try to warn them that they are being conned. This common outcome is reflected in the strain that develops between Nina and Ash in Don’t Let Him In. Victims are often left heartbroken, traumatized, and questioning their own judgment, effects felt by many women in the novel. Sometimes scammers even involve their victims in criminal activity, using them to facilitate money laundering, drug transfers, and more, meaning that some victims can also face criminal charges, as Amanda does in Don’t Let Him In.

Other books that explore the impact of romance scammers are Becky Holmes’s Keanu Reeves Is Not in Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud, Sofija Stefanovic’s You’re Just Too Good To Be True, Stephanie Wood’s Fake, and Kay Schubach’s Perfect Stranger.