Tinder Swindler’s Shimon Hayut Arrested on Fraud Accusations

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The Tinder Swindler has found himself in more legal trouble.

Shimon Yehuda Hayut, who was the subject of the Netflix documentary about his crimes, was arrested on September 14th on new fraud charges, according to his lawyer, Sagiv Rotenberg, in a report by The New York Times.

Interpol documents show that Hayut, also known as Simon Leviev, was arrested in Georgia. A German woman reported he defrauded her of almost 44,000 euros (about $52,000) between 2017 and 2019.

According to court documents, the accusations include thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges – using the woman’s credit card and phone account. This included $10,600 worth of hotel and flight expenses to the Cayman Islands, which he reportedly charged after telling her his own credit card wasn’t working.

Despite Germany asking for his arrest in Georgia, Hayut’s lawyer, Rotenberg, stated to The New York Times that his client hasn’t been formally accused of any crime in Germany. Hayut, 34, who refutes the claims against him, has one week to challenge the court’s decision, as stated in documents from the Batumi City Court.

TopMob News has reached out to Hayut’s attorney for additional comment and has not yet heard back.

The arrest of this fraudster comes five years after he received a 15-month prison sentence in Israel for four counts of fraud. He was featured in a 2022 documentary about allegedly conning Tinder dates out of more than $10 million through short-term relationships. However, according to the Norwegian newspaper *Verdens Gang*, Hayut only served five months because Israel was trying to reduce the number of people in jail when the Covid pandemic began.

I remember being absolutely shocked when I first heard Cecilie Fjellhøy’s story. She bravely shared how she met and fell for Simon Hayut, who presented himself as the ‘Prince of Diamonds’ – Leviev – and it was heartbreaking to hear about what happened to her two years after he was released.

The Netflix documentary explored the story of Shimon Hayut, who used Tinder to connect with women. The film claims he pretended to be the son of a wealthy businessman and fraudulently opened credit accounts using information from his dates.

He admitted to using false passports and living under an assumed identity, which ultimately caused him legal problems. However, he disagreed with how Netflix presented his story in the documentary.

While Simon Hayut faces new legal challenges, here’s more of his perspective on being known as “The Tinder Swindler.”

Leviev claims he’s never defrauded anyone and, as a result of the attention from *The Tinder Swindler* documentary, he’s now very wealthy.

“I did not swindle nobody,” he argued. “I am making s–tloads of money every day thanks to Netflix…hell of a lot of money thanks to that.”

We guess all publicity is good publicity?

Leviev claimed his rivals are relentlessly pursuing him, describing them with a vulgar insult. When asked if he feared imprisonment, he surprisingly suggested the women who accused him might face legal consequences for defamation instead.

Leviev stated he’s currently finishing his own documentary, which will share his perspective on the events. He teased that it will be even more surprising than the Netflix documentary *The Tinder Swindler*, claiming viewers will be genuinely shocked by what they see. He said, “You won’t believe what you’re going to see,” and hinted at revelations that will be “shocking to your life, seriously.”

He also mentioned he’s waiting for his U.S. visa to be approved – he’s currently based in Tel Aviv – so he can record music with French Montana, and potentially Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. He confidently stated that exciting projects are on the horizon.

Leviev claims he hasn’t used Tinder since 2018 and that any profiles currently using his photos are fake and have no connection to him.

He said he filed a police report against all of the fake accounts.

Okay, so everyone’s talking trash about Simon, but honestly, he’s totally fine financially! He told me himself – Bitcoin is a HUGE part of it. He got in super early, like, way back when it was nothing, and it’s paid off massively. I knew he wasn’t some scammer just taking money; he’s a genius with investments! It’s amazing, really.

He explained that the best way to profit is by investing in overlooked areas. He added that he always pursues opportunities he genuinely believes in.

He openly showed off his expensive possessions, boasting that his clothes and watches cost thousands of dollars. He also claimed his monthly security expenses exceeded the amount of money he was accused of taking.

Even with all the commotion and accusations against him, Leviev says he remains unconcerned. He stated directly, “I’m not in jail, and I won’t be going to jail.”

He claims the police are assisting him, and dismissively called the women in *The Tinder Swindler* “lame,” suggesting they profited significantly from the Netflix documentary. Leviev highlighted that over 100 million people watched the film, a fact he appeared to be proud of.

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2025-09-17 19:22