The Real Leviev Family Is Suing the "Tinder Swindler"
“Shimon Hayut is a fraud who stole our family’s identity.”
After having his story revealed by Netflix on its Tinder Swindler documentary, Shimon Hayut, also known as Simon Leviev, is being sued by the real Leviev family.
According to a document obtained by E! News, the lawsuit aims to get Hayut to “face justice and get the sentence he deserves.” “Shimon Hayut is a fraud who stole our family’s identity and has tried to exploit our good name to con victims out of millions of dollars,” Israeli diamond magnate Lev Leviev’s daughter Chagit Leviev said in a statement. “He has no relation to the Leviev family and has no affiliation with our company LLD Diamonds… I am relieved that his real identity and actions have been globally exposed, and hopefully this will bring an end to his unscrupulous actions,” she added.
For those who have yet to watch the documentary, the true-crime film reveals that Hayut pretended to be a part of the Leviev family to show women on Tinder that he comes from a wealthy background. However, it was all allegedly part of his scam to take hundreds of thousands of dollars from his matches on the dating app.
The lawsuit was filed in Tel Aviv, Israel, which states that Hayut “has been making false representations as being the son of Lev Leviev and receiving numerous benefits (including material ones).” It also mentions that he “defrauded, cheated, conned, falsified, and hurt women, men and businesses” while “impersonating” as a Leviev family member.
In the documentary, Hayut shows his victims his family photo with Lev and Ayelet Leviev. However, per the suit, Hayut took the image “without permission” and photoshopped himself in the image. “He presented the ‘fixed’ photo to women and men as proof of being a Leviev family member, thereby making a misrepresentation that he is a part of the family, and did so to generate personal profit and mislead the public,” the document reads.
Hayut has not yet commented on the situation. Stay tuned as we learn more about the case.
