Simon Leviev is a professional con man popularly known as the Tinder Swindler. Before he adopted the name Simon Leviev, Simon went by his Israeli government name Shimon Yehuda Hayut.
Throughout his fraudulent career, Simon was accused of defrauding more than $10 million from his victims. This article will provide further insight into the life of Simon Leviev, highlighting his net worth, personal life, and assets.
What Is Simon Leviev Net Worth
Simon Leviev’s current net worth as of 2023 stands around $1 million. He amassed a sizeable portion of this fortune from scams and fraudulent schemes, which he had ventured into between 2017 and 2019.
According to Netflix’s documentary, The Tinder Swinder, Simon succeeded in defrauding three European women (Fjellhøy, Charlotte, and Sjöholm) of an estimated £180,000, £25,000, and £103,000, respectively.
However, that was only a fraction of the amount that Simon had defrauded his victims in the course of his fraudulent career.
Reports had it that between 2017 and 2019, he defrauded more than $10 million from his victims, and the documentary covered just three of Simon’s many victims. The bulk of that money went into funding his lifestyle to make his scam convincing.
How Did Simon Leviev Get Rich?
His tactics were somewhat straight out of a conman’s playbook — an interplay between romance and business. The ploy was to pose as the son of a wealthy Russian–Israeli diamond mogul, Lev Leviv, with the goal of attracting the love interest of several wealthy single women on Tinder.
He built a pretty convincing Tinder profile, littered with pictures of him driving luxury cars, going to expensive parties, and living in top-star hotels. He lured them with expensive first dates, making them believe that he was the prince of diamonds.
After making them believe he was from a wealthy family, he’d then claim that his life was in danger and needed a credit card in someone else’s name so he couldn’t be traced.
He’ll then ask his victim to take out loans and credit cards, promising that he’ll pay them back. He continued the cycle, using the proceeds from the last victim to sustain his luxurious lifestyle while he searched for his next victim.
Biography
Shimon Yehuda Hayut, aka Simon Leviev, was born on the 27th of September 1990 in Bnei Brak, Israel. Simone Leviev received some minutes of fame when the Netflix documentary, “Tinder Swindler” aired in 2022.
His criminal career began in his early teenage years. He fled Israel for Finland in 2011 to evade trial for fraud-related crimes. During his time in Finland, he reportedly served a two-year prison sentence for dating fraud between 2015 and 2017.
Upon his release in 2017, he moved to Europe and changed his name to Simon Leviev to pose as the son of a Russian-Israeli diamond mogul, Lev Leviev.
Simon would engage in several dating frauds between 2017 and 2019, earning himself a spot as the main antagonist in the Netflix documentary “Tinder Swindler”.
| Full Name/Real Name | Shimon Yehuda Hayut |
| Nick Name | Simon Leviev/ The Tinder Swindler |
| Birth Place | Ramat Elchanan, Bnei Brak, Israel |
| Birthday | 27 September 1990 |
| Age | 33 Years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Height | 5′ 9’‘ 1.75m |
| Marital Status | N/A |
| Wife/Husband | N/A |
| Girlfriend | N/A |
| Kids/children’s name | N/A |
| Siblings | N/A |
| Social Media Accounts | Tik Tok |
Criminal Career
Simon’s criminal career started in his early childhood. The earliest recollection of his crime was at the age of 16, when he allegedly stole credit cards from the family he lived with. As time went on, he evolved his criminal identity as a con man.
His first stint with the law came in 2011 when he was charged in Israel after allegations of check fraud. He later fled Israel and set up a shop in Finland. This was where he first began defrauding women. Yet again, the law caught up with him in 2015, and he was sentenced to a jail term of three years.
Despite experiencing hiatus with his jail sentence, Hayut’s scams became even more daring. He would later go on to impersonate the Leviev family, falsely acting as an heir.
His most popular scam was “Tinder Swindling,” where he scammed single women of approximately $10 Million between 2017 and 2019.
He would organise expensive first dates in world-class restaurants, eating cuisines served by world-class chefs like Andre Rochadel.
All these were necessary to woo his victims before catering with their money. In the Netflix documentary, Hayut was often quoted to say, “my enemies are after my life!” to create a sense of danger for his life.
His victims most times buy into this narrative and often find themselves borrowing loans and lines of credit for Hayut. His criminal career came to a short stop in 2019 when he was arrested in Greece and later imprisoned in Israel. His prison sentence was cut short as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although he is a free man, this might not be the case for long. He is still wanted in several European countries, including; Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Spain.
The Leviev family also filed a lawsuit against Simon, claiming reputational damage to their family name as a result of Simon’s criminal actions.
Assets And Investments
Leviev’s assets are shrouded in secrecy. This is necessary in order for him to evade government seizures and sanctions. Also, not much is known about Hayat’s investments. He claims to have made a lot of money from his Netflix documentary. But there has been no evidence to approve or disprove his claim.
According to the con man, his major investments are in the crypto and bitcoin sphere. As regards his future, Leviev is currently signed to a talent manager Gina Rodriguez with plans for the entertainment industry and hopes of becoming a media star like TJ Hunt.
Personal Life
Simon Leviev’s love life has been somewhat low-key. In a BBC interview, his ex-girlfriend and Israeli model Kate Konlin made some accusations of abuse against Leviev, to which he replied. Rumors of Leviev having a daughter appear to be false.
FAQs
Is there a real Simon Leviev?
No, there isn’t. The real Leviev family comprises nine children, and there is no child that bears the name Simon Leviev.
What is Simon Leviev doing now?
Shimon Hayut runs a business website where he offers consulting services for a fee. He also has plans to venture into the entertainment industry.
How did Simon Leviev get caught?
Simon Leviev was caught in Greece with a forged passport and other fake documents. He was later extradited to Israel to face punishment.
Did Simon Leviev have a private jet?
No, he didn’t. Private Jets seen on his social media pages were rented.
How many people did Simon Leviev take money from?
Simon Leviev was reported to have taken money from about nine women. Out of these nine women, three were eager to share their experience in the Tinder Swindler documentary for a chance to expose him.
