‘Tinder Swindler’ Subject Says He’s a “Legit Businessman,” Denies Con Claims in Interview
The subject of Netflix’s new film The Tinder Swindler is claiming he is not a fraud in a new interview that aired Monday.
Shimon Hayut, who has gone by the alias Simon Leviev, said he wants to clear his name in the conversation with Inside Edition about the Netflix doc, which featured the stories of several women Hayut met on Tinder and allegedly conned out of significant amounts of money by pretending he was in danger. The rest of the two-part interview, which also featured Hayut’s girlfriend, model Kate Konlin, will air Tuesday.
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Hayut denied being a “Tinder Swindler” in parts of the interview that were previously revealed by Inside Edition. “I’m not this monster,” he said, “I was just a single guy that wanted to meet some girls on Tinder.”
According to The Tinder Swindler, Hayut led women he had met on Tinder to believe that he was the son and heir of diamond mogul Lev Leviev before he allegedly took them for millions. The Netflix documentary follows an investigation in the Norwegian publication VG, which reported in 2019 that he “seduced and swindled young women for millions and is a fugitive from justice in several countries.” Even before the time frame primarily focused on in the Netflix film, Hayut faced multiple charges in Israel and was sentenced to prison time in Finland. (Hayut denied fraud claims to the Netflix filmmakers and told them he would file a lawsuit for “defamation and lies.”)
“They weren’t conned and they weren’t threatened,” Hayut said of the women featured in the doc during his interview on Inside Edition.
When questioned about whether he’s the son of a billionaire diamond mogul, Hayut emphasized that those claims are false: “No I am not, and I never presented myself [as such].” He also said he didn’t “feel bad” for the women who spoke out in the doc because he didn’t do what was alleged.
As for his lavish lifestyle, Hayut explained that he’s able to fund it by being “a legit businessman,” also noting that in 2011 he bought Bitcoin. “I don’t need to say how much it’s worth now,” he said.
“I want to clear my name, I want to say to the world, this is not true,” he said.
When briefly joining the interview, Hayut’s girlfriend defended Hayut and reacted to the claims made by the women in the doc, “My God, how someone can build such a fake stunt?” She also confirmed that Hayut has never borrowed money from her.
Hayut was later asked what he would say to those who describe him as a “fast talker” and “a fraud and a fake.” He responded, “I’m not a fraud and I’m not a fake. People don’t know me so they cannot judge me.”
Since the documentary premiered Feb. 2, Hayut has signed with a talent agent, Gina Rodriguez of Gitoni, and joined the personalized video-sharing platform Cameo, where a personal video with him is going for $199. On Monday, he debuted an NFT collection and has also introduced a website that sells T-shirts that, in one case, features the line “My enemies are after me.” The website states that “a portion of the proceeds goes to Global Fund for Children.”
The Hollywood Reporter previously confirmed that Hayut has been banned from Tinder and other Match Group Inc. platforms, including Match.com, OkCupid, Hinge and PlentyOfFish.
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