Israeli fraudster Simon Leviev, made famous by 2022 Netflix documentary “The Tinder Swindler,” has been arrested in Georgia, officials say.
Leviev, 34, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, rose to notoriety after investigative reports and media coverage exposed a pattern of defrauding potential paramours and financial crimes.
He has been “arrested at Batumi’s airport at Interpol’s request,” Georgia’s interior ministry spokesman Tato Kuchava tells AFP, without giving further details.
Between 2017 and 2019, Leviev allegedly used the dating app Tinder to pose as the wealthy heir of Israeli magnate Lev Leviev and trick women into advancing him large sums of money, which he never repaid. The elaborate deception reportedly involved fake luxury lifestyles, bodyguards and private jets, making the scam unusually convincing and costly.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 15, 2025
