Simon Leviev, the notorious ‘Tinder Swindler’, nabbed as justice catches up

SIMON Leviev, an Israeli man who became known worldwide after the 2022 Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia, local media reported earlier this week.

- LUTHO PASIYA

Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained immediately after landing at Batumi International Airport, according to the Georgian outlet Georgia Today. The reasons for his arrest remain unclear.

Leviev rose to international attention between 2017 and 2019 for allegedly posing as a wealthy diamond heir on Tinder, targeting women across Europe.

According to investigative reports, he persuaded his victims to lend him large sums of money with promises of repayment that never materialised.

To support the illusion of wealth, Leviev travelled on private jets, employed bodyguards and staged meetings in luxury settings, including dinners at hotels and first dates on aircraft.

The Netflix documentary featured several women who said Leviev defrauded them.

It highlighted a sophisticated pattern of romance scams, showing how he used charm and manipulation to secure financial gain.

Reports indicate that Leviev scammed victims in Norway, Finland and Sweden, accumulating an estimated $10 million over several years.

Leviev served five months of a 15-month prison sentence in Israel but faced ongoing legal cases abroad, including pending fraud charges in Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.