Who is Simon Leviev? Israeli fraudster ‘Tinder Swindler’ arrested in Georgia

The infamous ‘Tinder Swindler’ Simon Leviev was arrested in Georgia on Monday after Interpol issued a Red Notice for his arrest. The 35-year-old, whose notoriety was featured in Netflix’s hit, was detained at Batumi International airport, according to Georgian and Israeli media reports. The Israeli fraudster is accused of conning women out of a total of over $10 million by posing as the heir to a diamond fortune.

The interior ministry spokesman, Tato Kuchava, told AFP that he has been “arrested at (the Black Sea city) Batumi’s airport at Interpol’s request,” without giving further details.

Who is Simon Leviev?

Simon Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, has been on Interpol’s international wanted list. He was featured in the 2022 Netflix documentary series ‘The Tinder Swindler’ that featured stories of his victims.

Leviev met several women between 2017 and 2019 through the online dating app Tinder and introduced himself as the heir to diamond magnate Lev Leviev. He then engaged in various fraudulent schemes and extorted money from them.

According to court records, he was convicted of theft, forgery, and fraud and managed to swindle about $10 million from his victims across Europe.

His activities came to light after investigative reports and media coverage exposed a pattern of romance fraud and financial crimes.

His scheme became one of the most notorious examples of “catfishing”, a term that refers to creating a false online persona to lure victims into emotional and financial entanglements.

Leviev reportedly deceived his victims through fake luxury lifestyles, bodyguards and private jets, which made the scam unusually convincing and costly.

Netflix has said Hayut “ultimately defrauded victims in Norway, Finland and Sweden out of an estimated $10 million.”