The Infamous "Tinder Swindler" Is Now Banned From the Online Dating App
Following Netflix’s latest true-crime documentary.
Despite having scammed women for an estimated $10 million USD after matching with them on Tinder, Shimon Hayut lives as a free man today in his home country, Israel. After Netflix premiered Tinder Swindler, a true-crime documentary following the con man, the online dating platform has now banned Hayut from using the app.
Hayut used various aliases to con his victims, including “Simon Leviev,” which he seems to go by to this date as seen from his Instagram account. The con man told women that he was the son of a diamond tycoon, giving them private jet trips and showing off his extravagant lifestyle. After gaining their trust that he is a successful billionaire, he demanded they send him money to help save him from his “enemies.”
As detailed in the documentary film, Hayut asked women to create American Express cards and take out numerous loans in order to increase their spending limits, which he would then use for his other victims. “We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases,” Tinder said in a statement shared to Variety.
Hayut was sentenced to 15 months in prison of which only five were served. When Tinder Swindler was released on Netflix, he was still active on Tinder.
