‘The Tinder Swindler’ Simon Leviev permanently banned from the dating app
Shimon Hayut—also known as “The Tinder Swindler” Simon Leviev—has been permanently banned from the dating app.
“We banned Simon Leviev and any of his known aliases as soon as the story of his actions became public in 2019,” Tinder said in a statement.
“In the lead up to the release of the documentary, we conducted additional internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is not active on Tinder under any of his known aliases,” the company added.
The international catfisher made the rounds online after the release of an instant Netflix hit that talks about the love scams he pulled on Tinder to con single women out of millions. Three of his victims Cecilie Fjellhoy, Pernilla Sjoholm, and Ayleen Charlotte detailed their personal experiences with The Tinder Swindler—and how they teamed up to swindle him back.
According to The Washington Post, Tinder put up new guidelines dubbed Romance Scams: How To Protect Yourself Online a day before the true crime watch’s release, pointing out that scammers usually target “vulnerable” people “looking for love” on dating platforms. It advised users to “trust their gut” and avoid sending personal details to someone they matched with on the site. “Above all else, do not send money online,” noted Tinder.
Hayut has long been involved in various scams. The Post reported that he defrauded a family for $42,000 in 2008 and became wanted in Israel due to theft, forgery, and fraud in 2011. He was sentenced to two years in jail for scamming three women in 2015 and was arrested in Greece in 2019. Citing the Times of Israel, the same article stated that he “was sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraud, and ordered to pay compensation of more than $43,000. But Hayut only served five months.”
Variety reported that after the docu’s launch, Hayut said in his Instagram stories that he was planning on airing his side of the story. His IG account, however, has been deactivated as of Friday, Feb. 4.
From the makers of well-received true crime documentary Don’t F*** With Cats, the streaming giant’s addition has become an instant hit since its Feb. 2 release. Aside from the United States and United Kingdom, it has also earned a spot in Netflix’s Top 10 list in the Philippines.
Watch the trailer here: