17 Wild “Tinder Swindler” Real-Life And Behind-The-Scenes Facts

Are you obsessed with The Tinder Swindler? The Netflix documentary follows Simon Leviev, real name Shimon Hayut, as he defrauds women out of thousands of dollars while posing as an ultra-wealthy diamond heir.

1.

Simon has been banned from Tinder. In a statement to Variety, Tinder said, “We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases.”

2.

In December 2020, Simon reportedly pretended to be a medical worker to receive an early dose of the COVID vaccine.

3.

Two days after the documentary was released, Simon posted on his Instagram page, saying that he was getting ready to say his side of the story. However, his Instagram is currently no longer active.

4.

Lev Leviev, the real-life “King of Diamonds,” reportedly filed a complaint with the Israeli police previously over Simon pretending to be his son.

5.

LLD Diamonds were seemingly not best pleased by Simon’s exploits, saying in a statement, “Our sympathies go out to his victims. His fraud has also caused ongoing confusion about our company. Nothing he has said, about LLD or anything else, should be believed.”

6.

Simon previously denied the allegations against him. “I have the right to choose whatever name I want, I never presented myself as the son of anyone, but people use their imaginations,” he said to Israel’s Channel 12 news. “Maybe their hearts were broken during the process…I never took a dime from them; these women enjoyed themselves in my company, they traveled and got to see the world on my dime.”

7.

His 2019 convictions in Israel were related to his 2011 charges, not his fraud across Europe. He was wanted in Israel, England, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Norway.

8.

Simon only served five months out of his 15 month sentence. His release was reportedly part of a program to reduce prison populations amidst the pandemic. However, an update on the original “Tinder Swindler” article attributes it to “good behavior.”

9.

Three months ago, Simon appeared to give an interview as an “international expert” on real estate. The article lists his age as 29 and his name as Simon Leviev, despite Simon actually appearing to be 31.

10.

That’s not the only interview Simon gave as a 29-year-old real estate expert, as another one from the same time says that he has a “Netflix biopic” underway — “With a Netflix biopic underway and luxury cars parked in the garage, Leviev’s word is his weight in gold when it comes to real estate.”

11.

Simon’s father is Yohanan Hayut, the chief rabbi for El Al Airlines. In 2019, he was questioned by police over accusations that he had defrauded people by presenting his son to them as Simon Leviev. His attorney denied the claims.

12.

Model Kate Konlin and Simon appear to no longer be together. In emails to Radar Online she said that the pair were still friends, that he was a real estate businessman, and that the allegations against him were false.

13.

Upon trying to access the website listed in the documentary, it appears Simon’s business advice website is no longer live.

14.

Pernilla is now bankrupt and lives with her mother. “It’s still a struggle,” she told GQ. “It was the ultimate betrayal. My friend was out to destroy me.”

15.

Cecilie’s advice for people who have been scammed is to get “peer support.” She told GQ, “Please don’t feel ashamed. Be open and honest, and please, please report.”