Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev's Rumored New Project Is Sure To Spark Criticism
Notorious Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev may not be done swindling just yet. According to reports, he has plans on making it big in Hollywood.
To the uninitiated, Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Hayut, is a convicted fraudster and the central subject of the popular Netflix true-crime documentary "The Tinder Swindler." In the documentary, his victims shed light on how Leviev had matched with them on dating apps and wined and dined them to gain their trust, only to stiff them of thousands of dollars afterward. He initially posed as the son of a diamond mogul and pretended to be embroiled in a bloody diamond war to make his victims pity him and wire him cash. One of his victims named Cecilie Schrøder Fjellhøy reportedly went $500,000 into debt over the course of their relationship. Leviev was eventually sentenced to prison, and per the Times of Israel, his swindling amounted to approximately $10 million.
When the documentary went viral, he took to Instagram to thank people for their "support," adding everyone should watch out for his own account of events. "I will share my side of the story in the next few days when I have sorted out the best and most respectful way to tell it, both to the involved parties and myself. Until then, please keep an open mind and heart," he said in a now-deleted post, per GQ.
Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev wants to star in his own dating show
Days after "The Tinder Swindler" dropped on Netflix, Simon Leviev was officially banned from using dating apps like Tinder. "We banned Simon Leviev and any of his known aliases as soon as the story of his actions became public in 2019," a spokesperson for Tinder said in a statement. "In the lead up to the release of the documentary, we conducted additional internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is not active on Tinder under any of his known aliases." Soon, other dating platforms like Hinge, Match.com, Plenty of Fish, and OkCupid followed suit and banned him as well.
Just when you thought you'd seen the last of Leviev, E! News confirmed that he got himself a manager and is apparently working on his own dating show. Per the outlet, he signed with Gina Rodriguez, who served as executive producer on the reality series "Mama June: From Hot to Not." A TMZ video also confirmed the news, and while no details have been divulged yet, they revealed that he's also working on a book, a dating podcast, and an income stream where he would sell his cameos for $300.
Before he deleted his Instagram, Leviev told his followers to "please keep an open mind and heart."