- Simon Leviev, aka the Tinder Swindler, defrauded women of $10 million globally
- He posed as a diamond heir on Tinder to lure victims with a fake lavish lifestyle
- Leviev was arrested in Georgia following an Interpol Red Notice on Sunday
Simon Leviev, known to the world as the "Tinder Swindler," built a global reputation through deception. Born Shimon Yehuda Hayut, the 35-year-old Israeli con artist rose to infamy after a 2022 Netflix documentary chronicled how he duped women out of millions by masquerading as a wealthy heir to a diamond fortune. He was arrested in Georgia on Sunday.
Using the popular dating app Tinder, Leviev tricked women into believing he was the son of Russian diamond tycoon Lev Leviev. He used a made-up lavish lifestyle, including private jets and luxury hotels, to convince them to lend him money. He defrauded at least a dozen women out of $10 million, as per The New York Post.
Leviev's scams were brought to attention through the Netflix documentary 'The Tinder Swindler', which detailed how he used charm, false promises, and fake emergencies to manipulate his victims. Despite this, Leviev has repeatedly denied being the "Swindler," calling the film a "made-up movie."
Following the release of the documentary, he was prohibited from using dating apps.
Since the documentary's release, Leviev has made an effort to pursue an entertainment career, charging fans for personalised greetings on Cameo.
His criminal record spans several countries, including convictions for fraud, theft, forgery, and cashing stolen checks. He fled Israel in 2011 to avoid jail but later served two years in a Finnish prison from 2015 to 2017 before being sent back to Israel.
On Sunday, Leviev was arrested at Batumi International Airport in Georgia after an Interpol Red Notice was issued for his capture. A Red Notice, according to Interpol, is "a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and formally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action."
Leviev's attorneys maintain that he has been travelling without restriction and assert that they are unaware of the specific charges against him in Georgia. "We don't yet understand the reason," Sagiv Rotenberg, one of his lawyers, told reporters.
According to Georgia's Interior Ministry, the specific grounds for Leviev's arrest are not yet known. His legal team claimed that they are unaware of the allegations he is facing in Georgia or the circumstances surrounding the Interpol Red Notice that resulted in his arrest, as per The Independent.
