Following the release of Netflix's true-crime documentary The Tinder Swindler last week, Simon Leviev has been revealed to be banned from almost all dating platforms. The Israeli native, who was convicted for theft and fraud, was permanently prohibited from Tinder and other dating platforms like OkCupid, OurTime, Match, and more.
Leviev allegedly conned multiple women from these dating apps, which is a violation of the terms of service for most online dating platforms. The 31-year-old controversial figure has been accused of conning Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte. He has been alleged to have defrauded the women out of £313,000 or over $424,000.
As per TMZ, a Tinder representative told the publication:
"We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases."
Simon Leviev aka The Tinder Swindler's victims receive support in fundraiser to pay off debt
According to Deseret, these women have over $600,000 of debt over the amount allegedly defrauded by Leviev (aka Shimon Yehuda Hayut). Leviev's victims, Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm, and Ayleen Charlotte, launched a GoFundMe page after receiving much "compassion and support" online.
The three women claimed:
"Shimon Heyada Hayut (who came to us under the pseudonym and fake personality of 'Simon Leviev') and his team of professional con artists have defrauded all three of us for large sums of money."
Following the popularity of The Tinder Swindler on Netflix, the fundraiser has raised over £35,000 out of their £600,000 target within two days of launching the GoFundMe page. They have received over 1600 donations. Leviev had reportedly cheated £185k, £103k and £25,000 from Fjellhøy, Sjoholm and Charlotte, respectively.
Simon Leviev aka Tinder Swindler's response to the claims of these women
On Monday, February 8, The Tinder Swindler took to his Instagram (which has since been deleted) to share his response to the women. In an Instagram story, the convicted con-man had said:
"If I was a fraud, why would I act on Netflix. I mean they should have arrested me when we were still shooting. It's high time the ladies start saying the truth."
Shimon Hayut has been accused of defrauding over $10 million from his victims, most of whom he conned like Fjellhøy, Sjoholm and Charlotte.
In 2019, Hayut was arrested in Greece but served only five months in prison after the pandemic broke out. Previously, he was incarcerated for three years (2015-2018) in Finland. Leviev still remains wanted in three nations, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, for various criminal offenses.