Simon Leviev is pretty famous or infamous now, considering he’s the protagonist of Netflix‘s true-crime documentary, “The Tinder Swindler”. Leviev allegedly conned $10 million out of the various women he connected with on the popular dating app, Tinder.
While the victims of the con are bemoaning their debts, Leviev denies that he’s the Tinder Swindler, and calls the Netflix documentary mostly made up. But that does not mean he disliked the fame, for he wants to continue being in the entertainment industry.
Who Is Simon Leviev?
Earlier this year, Netflix blew audiences away with a new true-crime documentary, “The Tinder Swindler” which had a rather wild story. In it, they show an Israeli man, Shimon Hayut, who poses as Simon Leviev on Tinder. Leviev claims to be the son of a diamond mogul, Lev Leviev, and that he lives a dangerous life.
His MO, according to the Netflix documentary, is simple. He first takes the women he matched with on a lavish date, impressing them with his lifestyle. Soon, he’d start telling them about how he was worried about a certain group of people trying to harm him. Then, he’d send them a picture of his bodyguard, bleeding, and ask the women to open a credit card account for him, on their credit line because his credit card was blocked. And then the swindling would begin, leaving the women with growing loans. He would avoid repayment by cajoling, threatening, or simply ghosting them.
He was finally caught and sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2019 but served only five months. The Tinder Swindler is a free man today although he and all his aliases have been banned from Tinder, as per the app.
Leviev Denies Being The Tinder Swindler
That said, Leviev is telling Inside Edition, that he’s not the Tinder Swindler, in his first-ever interview since the release of the Netflix documentary. He was not part of the documentary and basically calls it lies, saying, “They present it as a documentary but in truth, it’s like a complete made-up movie.”
Instead, he mentions, “I was just a single guy that wanted to meet some girls on Tinder.” The interview will air in two parts on February 21 and 22nd, where Simon Leviev claims, “I am not a Tinder Swindler.”
He is joined with his girlfriend in the interview as well, and says, “I’m the biggest gentleman in the world.”
The day before the release of the documentary, Tinder added new guidelines titled “Romance Scams: How to Protect Yourself Online.” The dating app also noted and warned people using the app that scammers may use the platform to prey on the “vulnerable” people “looking for love.”
While Leviev and all his aliases have been booted off Tinder, he is still active on social media, currently on Instagram with a new page because his previous profile, as per his claims, was hacked. He still seems to be living the same lavish lifestyle, and the trolls are out in force, writing comments like, “If you can go by Simon Leviev – I guess I can go by Kim Kardashian.”
Some went even more savage, “I’m glad you’re making money. so your victims can sue you AND your management…. It’s going to be amazing when you’re arrested for your crimes outside of Israel and everyone who supported you ends up bankrupt too.”
The Tinder Swindler Wants A Dating Show
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Despite the infamy, the Netflix show brought him, Leviev is eager to cash on his newfound fame. According to TMZ, he’s signed on a new Hollywood manager, Gina Rodriguez with Gitoni Inc. Now they are discussing ways how to milk his fame for-profit and Leviev wants a new career, in entertainment.
Allegedly, he wants to be on a dating show where women compete for his love and also wants to become the next “love guru” by sharing dating dos and don’ts on a podcast. A book deal may also be in the offing, so clearly, notoriety does not matter, and Leviev might just become the next big thing on reality TV, if not Hollywood.
He’s just launched a new website where he will be selling personalized T-shirts, with a video, and one Instagram user let the vitriol flow, writing, “Lol I still can’t believe you are free to continue to scam people out of money. You have no conscience. Remember when your time comes, you won’t be able to take that money with you and I hope that there is an afterlife where people like you are reincarnated into cockroaches.”
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