Simon Leviev The Tinder Swindler: The Most Controversial Romance Scam of the Century?

Can a fraudster's sophisticated appearance and designer wardrobe significantly aid in their efforts to defraud women under the guise of romance? Indeed, to the extent of millions.

You may have either seen or heard about Netflix's documentary, "The Tinder Swindler," which rapidly gained popularity and has been a buzzworthy topic. Read our detailed summary on Simon Leviev and his deceptive scheme on Tinder, plus strategies for protecting yourself against similar scammers.

Simon Leviev has been infamously dubbed as the “The Tinder Swindler”. Why? Simply because his main platform for finding victims was the dating app Tinder.

Simon Leviev’s profile showed what could be considered as the full package of the perfect gentleman, which was hard to find from dating apps. And this – reeled in women who were looking for the right man.

A few months later, he sold the Porsche to pay for a flight course. So yes, he can fly a plane.

With these fraudulent acts, he fled to Israel to escape authorities and get himself a fake passport. Using a fake passport, Shimon fled to Europe to confuse the authorities of his whereabouts.

Swindling his way through Europe, he was arrested in Finland in 2015 for charges relating to defrauding several women. It is unclear if he met these women through Tinder. In his arrest, authorities found several fake IDs, flight permits, and American Express credit cards which further helped the case leading to his sentence of 3 years in prison.

Yet due to good behavior, Simon was released a year early. He then fled back to Israel where he was recharged and sentenced. However, authorities weren’t able to arrest him as he flew back to Europe after legally changing his name to Simon Leviev.

Shimon used many aliases to con different kinds of people. But in 2017, he threw away the Hayut legacy by legally changing his name to Simon Leviev. The reason behind this name change is to prepare for his grand con scheme. Simon used the last name Leviev in order to pretend that he’s the son of Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev.

Posing as a wealthy gentleman, Simon Leviev invited his matches to go on dates in 5-star hotels. He would pay for the expensive meal and give these women a peek into his expensive lifestyle.

As soon as Cecilie Schrøder Fjellhøy – considered the “whistleblower” of the Tinder Swindler scam – and Simon Leviev matched on Tinder, Simon almost immediately sent a message to Cecilie asking to meet. He asked Cecilie to meet him at the Four Seasons Hotel in London for coffee.

With a family photo of Simon beside Lev Leviev and his wife, it was hard not to believe what Simon was telling Cecilie. Also, Cecilie mentioned in the documentary that Simon soon shared personal stories which she appreciated. He was appealing to Cecilie’s emotions – probably showing that he was still a relatable man even with all that wealth.

Yet Simon, being a “busy man” had to leave London to go on a business trip out of the country. He asked Cecilie if she wanted to join him. Over the moon with this one in a million chance experience, Cecilie found Simon’s company very warm and enjoyable that she agreed to fly with him to Bulgaria on his private jet.

Right after that short trip, Simon Leviev carried out romantic gestures even though he was far away from Cecilie. They frequently exchanged texts and voice chats and Simon would send expensive bouquets. Whenever Simon was in London, they’d meet up. It wasn’t long till Simon asked Cecilie to become his girlfriend, to which Cecilie, of course, said yes.

Simon Leviev carefully set the foundation of his narrative – right from his Tinder profile, he managed to make himself like the real deal. When women vet him for a date, his Instagram profile already shows the life he lived. His Instagram showed that he was a real person.

Then, during the date, he makes women believe that he really comes from wealth by taking them to five-star hotels (supposedly to show where he is staying) and talking about his work and family. If women search for the company, they’d be able to see in Google that LLD Diamonds exists – and Simon’s last name is related to it.

With this kind of presentation – rather, showmanship – it would be hard not to buy in that Simon Leviev’s is the real deal.
 

Cecilie, being Simon’s girlfriend can already see a future with Simon. Heck, she was already scouting for apartments where they can live together. But, little did Cecilie know that whenever Simon was traveling, he was meeting up with other women from different countries.

But what Pernilla didn’t know was that the money Simon Leviev was spending was Cecilie’s credit line and cash that Cecilie received from quick cash loans.

Simon Leviev’s scam operated in a Ponzi Scheme. To understand it better, here’s a breakdown of his narrative:

1. “It’s a match!“ – Simon asks the woman on a date in a cafe/restaurant of a five-star hotel.
2. First Date – Simon lays the groundwork for his romantic scam.
3. Love-Bombing – Simon showers the woman with love even when he’s not around.
4. Fly to Find More Victims – Simon flies to different countries for “business” but in reality, meets different types of women to add to his roster.
5. “Enemies are after me” – Simon confides to the women that he is worried about his safety. He appeals to women’s empathy by sending a photo of his bleeding bodyguard and his gashed face.
6. “My security is compromised” – Simon tells women his accounts are frozen due to a safety compromise and he needs to borrow cash and credit cards. These women, trusting Simon lend him money. Simon then sends a check a little over the initial money borrowed to further gain the women’s trust that he will pay future loans.
7. More, more, more – Simons asks for more credit cards and/or cash, convincing women to take quick loans as he is in real danger and has no access to money. In reality, he uses the money he receives to spoil another woman and keep up with his lifestyle. So technically, other women are paying for his dates, gifts, and private jets.
8. Fraud – Women are deep in debt. Simon sends fraudulent checks as repayment and ultimately stalls his victims.

The witch hunt for Simon Leviev’s story started when Cecilie was drowning in unpaid loans and credit card bills. She met with her creditors and found out about Simon Leviev’s past arrests. After doing further research, she was brave enough to go to news outlets and tell her story so other women can be warned about Simon Leviev’s scam scheme.

Journalists quickly picked up on Cecilie’s story and found out about one of Simon’s friends, Pernilla whom he was also loaning money from. Both women put out a brave face and shared their stories to magazines, TV news, and digital outlets – which were met with support and some backlash.

Convincing Simon that she will always be by his side through thick and thin, Ayleen (who worked in the Luxury Fashion industry) got a portion of her money back by selling Simon’s designer clothes online and keeping the money.

With no money nor help financial help from Ayleen, Simon had to live in hostels and use public bathrooms. Then in 2019, Ayleen deduced that he was flying to Greece and gave his flight information to authorities. He was then arrested and sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraud.

Five months after his arrest, Simon Leviev became a free man for exhibiting good behavior. Today, he’s living in Tel Aviv with his current girlfriend model Kate Konlin. If he’s swindling Kate Konlin – we’ll never know. However, in Kate Konlin’s social media accounts, she flaunts the gifts she receives from Simon – one being a Lamborghini. In interviews, Kate is confident that Simon did not swindle those women.

He has threatened legal action against Netflix and the producers of Tinder Swindler.

In lieu of Tinder Swindler, Tinder assures women that Simon Leviev and all his aliases are banned from using the dating app. Dating apps under Match Group and Plenty of Fish dating sites have also released statements that Simon Leviev is permanently banned from signing up on their platforms.

The real Leviev family sues Simon Leviev (Shimon Hayut) for making false representations and receiving numerous benefits for being a “Leviev”. According to the Leviev family’s attorney, this lawsuit is only the beginning of a number of lawsuits. They are also planning to file a monetary suit against Simon and any other affiliate that will work with him – anyone that will try to capitalise from Simon’s scheme will be sued.

To say that Tinder lost a lot of members after the release of Netflix’s documentary, The Tinder Swindler is absolutely false. In fact, Tinder garnered even more visibility and app activity since its release. To date, its total market share is 72% of all dating apps being used.

We believe that the most notable after effect of the docu’s release is – more and more women are now being careful on meeting others from dating apps as well as the information they share with others. More women are also speaking up on their own experience with scammers and swindlers to warn others of such schemes.

In online dating, vigilance is expected from the get-go, but still, scammers are getting even more creative on their schemes. However, even before Tinder Swindler became viral, Tinder has set security features for its members – with its release of the “Panic Button” when going on dates, message screening tools, and having an Online Safety Center where members can report harassment.

Some people have been scammed through online dating apps and websites. Yet, more people have found love or hookups from these platforms. So, it’s safe to say that Tinder Swindler is not the reality when dating online.

Online daters are expected to be careful of what they share and how they interact with other members. All dating apps publish terms and conditions that state they are not liable should something bad happen to their members within the platform. But also, most of these dating apps have security features that can help protect their members from harassment or scams.

Scammers are becoming more and more creative these days, but there are general red flags that these people may exhibit.

• Love-bombing – When you just matched with a person and immediately they show signs that they are smitten or in-love, it can be a tactic of manipulation.
• Their profile is too good to be true – If you find “Prince of Egypt” or something along those lines in a profile bio, it’s most likely an inauthentic profile.
• Big promises – Swindlers or con artists will make you believe that they’ll do anything for you. Big promises such as he’ll take you out on a helicopter ride on your first date, statistically is more of a scam move than a real one.
• Avoids in-person dates – Many scammers lurk online. They pull you in and make you feel like you’re in heaven (whether through words or nude photos) and in return, will ask you for credit card information or straight-up cash. The primary red flag of these con artists is they usually avoid in-person dates. So, if you match with someone and seem really uninterested in seeing you in person, they might have another agenda of talking to you.

When you’re seeing red flags from another member, there are three important things to do:

1. Stop communication, change passwords, alert your banks (online/physical) especially if you’ve shared some important information.
2. Block the user. Buttons for blocking a user are usually accessible and can be found on messaging settings.
3. Report the user. After blocking, don’t forget to report the user for his or her fraudulent acts.

Online dating is a whole different world – there are many scams being pulled by non-genuine people... however, there are also online daters who just want to look for a connection, a casual hookup, and even love. Many dating apps today have security features that will keep you safe. Still, it is expected from online daters to keep vigilant from those who take advantage.