'Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev arrested amid social media backlash and legal cases

Simon Leviev, an Israeli man who became known worldwide after the 2022 Netflix documentary “The Tinder Swindler”, has been arrested in Georgia, local media reported earlier this week.

Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained immediately after landing at Batumi International Airport, according to the Georgian outlet "Georgia Today". The reasons for his arrest remain unclear.

Leviev rose to international attention between 2017 and 2019 for allegedly posing as a wealthy diamond heir on Tinder, targeting women across Europe.

According to investigative reports, he persuaded his victims to lend him large sums of money with promises of repayment that never materialised.

To support the illusion of wealth, Leviev travelled on private jets, employed bodyguards and staged meetings in luxury settings, including dinners at hotels and first dates on aircraft.

The Netflix documentary featured several women who said Leviev defrauded them.

It highlighted a sophisticated pattern of romance scams, showing how he used charm and manipulation to secure financial gain.

Reports indicate that Leviev scammed victims in Norway, Finland and Sweden, accumulating an estimated $10 million over several years.

Leviev served five months of a 15-month prison sentence in Israel but faced ongoing legal cases abroad, including pending fraud charges in Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

His activities were exposed through investigative reports and media coverage that documented a pattern of romance fraud and financial deception.

His scheme has been described as one of the most notable cases of “catfishing”, a term used to describe creating a false online persona to lure victims into emotional or financial traps.

In a 2022 interview with "CNN", Leviev denied the wrongdoing. "I never defrauded anyone," he said. "I just used Tinder to meet women." Despite his notoriety, he maintained a significant social media following, with over 250,000 Instagram followers.

Last week, Leviev announced on the platform the upcoming publication of his book, “The Story Behind the Man”, which he described as his “full life story”.

“I never asked to be famous. I never chose the spotlight,” Leviev wrote on Instagram.

“One day, I woke up - and the whole world thought they knew who I was. They watched a movie. They binged a TV series. They read sensational headlines. And just like that, my name, my face, my life - became public property."

"But nobody ever stopped to ask me what really happened. For years, I stayed silent. Too long. But silence is a luxury I no longer have. I became a ‘celebrity’ against my will - and if that’s my reality, then at least I’ll use it to finally tell the truth.”

Leviev described the book as more than a response to the Netflix documentary.

“It’s also a blueprint. Inside, I share how I made my money. How I built my power. How I overcame every obstacle and every challenge life threw at me. From the very top to the very bottom - and back to the top again. How I survived it all, and how I made it happen."

"I’m not here to make excuses. I’m here to speak. In my own words. Not through a script. Not through someone else’s edit. Through me. Coming soon - worldwide. In bookstores. In multiple languages. On every platform. Read it. Then decide what you believe.”

The arrest of Leviev is seen as a significant development for his remaining victims, some of whom continue to seek justice years after being defrauded.

According to reports, authorities consider this a critical step in resolving ongoing investigations and potential international legal proceedings.

Public reaction has been mixed. On X, one user wrote, “This Shimon Yehuda Hayut arrest is just a circus. Interpol is sleeping on the job while this conman roams free, scamming folks! Where’s the justice for his victims? Typical lazy policing, smh. Truth be told.”

Another user commented, “Justice is finally catching up with 'The Tinder Swindler'. No matter how far you run, you can’t hide forever.”

A third wrote, “Finally, justice is catching up. Simon Leviev, thinking he could keep running his Tinder scam forever, guess not. Interpol really made sure he couldn’t swipe his way out this time.”

Some users questioned whether the actions were criminal.

One wrote, “Lmao, it was only a matter of time, but if he was arrested based on what he did in the movie, he did nothing wrong. All the women gave him the money willingly, so he didn't steal from them. It's not a crime.”