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“The Tinder Swindler” is a new documentary on Netflix directed by Felicity Morris. The story that revealed the truth about one of the sketchiest con artists, Simon Leviev (real name Shimon Hayut), is now one of the most intriguing stories that everyone seems to be talking about. The story revolves around Simon, who pretended to be a multimillionaire to deceive many women into lending him huge amounts of money he never intended to give back. The documentary shows three women who decided to speak out about this and seek justice. The movie raised a lot of interest and having in mind that there are probably a lot of unanswered questions, here are some unknown facts about “The Tinder Swindler” that were left behind the scenes.
What do you think about the documentary? Which one of these facts do you find the most interesting? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Simon Leviev pretended to be a paramedic in order to receive an early dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In December of 2020, the man decided to pose as a medical worker so that he could receive a vaccine even though he didn’t meet the requirements to receive one. At that time, only those who were medical workers, those over the age of 60, and at-risk groups were vaccinated.
Cyd Charisse 2 years ago
My husband's (now former) boss did the same thing. Went with some nurses she knew and claimed to be one herself. Disgusting.
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#2
Simon Leviev has been a known fraudster and thief in Israel since 2011. Despite being charged for multiple crimes, he didn’t show up at the court and went to Europe instead. He was arrested only in 2019 for 15 months. He was wanted in Israel, England, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Norway.
Amos Shapira 2 years ago
Great article, but why do you keep calling him Simon Leviev instead of his real name? It's a great opportunity to break his charade if you used his real name. And by the way, on Netflix, they say that his name is Shimon Ben-Hayut ("ben" means "son", it's not a middle name or anything).
#3
Lev Leviev, an Israel businessman and the CEO of LLD Diamonds, filed a complaint against Simon, who pretended to be his son. The man who is known as the “king of diamonds” filed a complaint against the fraudster with the Israeli police as his lies were damaging the company’s reputation. The CEO made it clear that Simon had no relations to the Leviev family.
#4
One of the victims portrayed in the document, Pernilla Sjoholm, still lives with her mom. Her wish to buy herself an apartment was crushed when she lent the money to Simon Leviev, who she thought was her friend. This made her bankrupt and only time will tell when she will be able to get back on her feet.
#5
Even though Simon Leviev received a 15-month sentence, it was reduced to 5 months, making those who were his victims and other people furious about the decision. It was reported that the reasons behind his early release were his good behavior and the need to reduce “the prison population” to avoid an outbreak of COVID-19.
#6
It was thought that Simon’s father Yohanan Hayut, who is a chief rabbi of El Al Airlines, was also involved in his son’s scams and helped him to swindle money from other people. The father, however, denied all the claims.
#7
In the documentary, it was revealed that all of Simon Leviev’s victims are still paying off their debts. One of these victims is Cecilie Fjellhøy, who, after an encounter with Simon Leviev, was left with £200,000 in debt and constant fear of debt collectors chasing after her. But one of the banks from which she took the loan wrote off her debt.
Amos Shapira 2 years ago
That's the hardest thing about this story - the long term disaster it left on the victims. I hope Netflix would help them with the proceeds from the series. Is there any chance of that?
#8
Simon Leviev got banned from Tinder. The documentary was released on the 2nd of February and it was noted that the man was still using the platform. After the investigation, Tinder banned the user, making sure that he is not using the app under any other alternative names.
#9
One of Simon Leviev’s victims, Cecilie Fjellhøy, shared that the best thing a person that has found themselves in a similar position can do is to share their experience, do not be afraid to talk about it, and report such incidents. No one will benefit from the situation if the person keeps everything to themselves and lives with inner blame.
Jacob Phillips 2 years ago
Correction; no one but the fraudster will benefit if they keep it to themselves
#10
All three victims presented in the documentary started a fundraiser on GoFundMe. The women shared that a lot of people were interested in helping them, so they started a fundraiser that now has more than £31K.
#11
Another lie given in one of Simon Leviev’s interviews was about his upcoming “Netflix biopic,” trying to prove that this man has it all. “With a Netflix biopic underway and luxury cars parked in the garage, Leviev’s word is his weight in gold when it comes to real estate. Some envy him; others look up to him.”
Mickie Shea 2 years ago
How does he pull the slime antics of a criminal while others, still look ip to him? Really?
#12
Ayleen Charlotte became well-known and praised by people for swindling Simon and this way taking back some of the money he took from her. The woman shared on her Instagram account a picture of herself wearing sunglasses that once belonged to Simon, stating: “Yes, these are his glasses.”
#13
Simon Leviev is still present on Instagram. The documentary revealed that the man is still continuing with the lavish lifestyle that he likes to show off on his Instagram account. After the documentary, the man shared that he will give his own side of the story but then disappeared from social media. He came back after a while revealing that his account was hacked, and he has now made it private.
#14
Back in November of 2021, Simon Leviev was presented as a real estate expert and even gave an interview on how to create a successful career in this field. In this interview he lied about his age, stating that he is a 29-year-old millionaire when he is actually 31 and far from being rich.
#15
Simon Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Hayut, tricked others into thinking that he is the son of Lev Leviev, an Israeli businessman. But when he was questioned about pretending to be someone else, the man insisted that he has the right to call himself howoever he wants and that he never told anyone that he is the son of Lev Leviev, stating that it’s other people’s fault for making these assumptions.
K Witmer 2 years ago
He took a photo of lev and his wife and photoshopped himself into it. Idk how no one saw the photoshop it was so obvious. I get people are conned I also think at some point you know you're being conned in some way it just really hurts to come to that realization so you're in denial.
#16
The documentary “The Tinder Swindler” was directed by Felicity Morris, the same producer who worked on the TV mini-series “Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer.” The woman shared that a lot has been left behind the screen, so to continue on the topic of “The Tinder Swindler,” a podcast will be released on the 9th of February.
Mickie Shea 2 years ago
ow bout a movie with Brad Pitt and Mills J. Janavich. t'wd be a block buster.
#17
At the end of the documentary, it was revealed that the man started a new project and now is providing people with free business consultations through his website. However, the webpage is no longer active.
Balázs Vízer 2 years ago
Not "for free" but "for a fee", huge difference, it's 311 dollars or something like that
#18
After the incident with Simon Leviev, Pernilla Sjoholm and Cecilie Fjellhøy remained close friends and even shared on social media some moments from their vacation together in 2021.
#19
After deceiving multiple women and after the release of the documentary, Simon Leviev was reported to be dating a model, Kate Konlin. The woman knows about his past, but from his point of view, thinking that the released truth about him was just his enemies trying to harm him. It was revealed that the couple is no longer dating but remained friends.
#20
Simon Leviev started his fraudulent behavior when he was 20 years old, stealing checks from families he worked for. He worked for one family as a babysitter for their 4-year-old son and another wealthy family knew him as a handyman. It was reported that he used this money for flying lessons and to buy himself a Porsche.
#21
Even though the con artist spent some money on flying lessons, he didn’t complete the civilian flight course, but this didn’t stop him from presenting himself as a pilot. His classmate even revealed that Simon made him invest in his clothing business idea that never actually saw the light of day.
Mickie Shea 2 years ago
I'm thinking good ol' Simon may not be good at business or partnership.
#22
In the documentary, one of the closest alliances of Simon Leviev is his bodyguard Peter (also known as Piotr), who, despite being involved in the scam, now walks as a free person and is still seen with Simon, keeping his bodyguard role.
Michał Osiecki 2 years ago
he is a Pole, and now wants to sue Netflix cause his pictures were shown. Poor soul, had no idea that the false "attacks" that he was forging with simon were to cheat on women. Instead of laying low he just started the Streisand effect. He wants 3mln EUR from Netflix XD
#23
Simon wasn’t the only one who was using Tinder services. A 36-year-old doctor from the UK revealed that she temporarily dated Simon’s business partner and friend Avi (Avishay). The couple met through Tinder, and the woman also got to experience the extravagant lifestyle the men were leading. The relationship ended soon because the woman didn’t want to date Avi because of his frequent travels.
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