Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev Arrested In Georgia At Interpol’s Request

A convicted con artist and subject of Netflix’s 2022 documentary The Tinder Swindler has been arrested in Georgia.

Simon Leviev, 34, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained at Batumi airport in southwest Georgia at Interpol’s request, the country’s interior ministry confirmed on Monday.

Leviev rose to infamy after the Netflix film exposed a series of romance scams and financial crimes estimated at $10 million. He allegedly posed as the heir to a diamond fortune on Tinder, convincing women to lend him money, which he never repaid. He has consistently denied the allegations.

Authorities have not disclosed why he was arrested. His lawyer told Israel’s Ynet that Leviev had been “traveling freely around the world” and that they were still trying to understand the reason for his detention.

In 2019, Leviev was convicted of four counts of fraud in an unrelated case, sentenced to 15 months in prison, and released after serving five.

Between 2017 and 2019, he allegedly lured women into romantic relationships with private jets, luxury holidays, and expensive gifts before claiming he was in danger and asking for money. Victims said he cut off contact after receiving the funds.

One victim, Cecilie Fjellhøy, said she gave him more than $270,000. Another, Iren Tranov, sued him in Israel last year for 414,000 shekels (£91,000), saying he failed to repay the 144,000 shekels (£31,000) she lent him.

In 2023, his ex-girlfriend, model Kate Konlin, accused him of emotional and physical abuse, claiming he pushed her during an argument and caused her to injure her foot. Leviev denied ever harming any woman.

The Tinder Swindler became Netflix’s most-watched documentary in 90 countries when it premiered in February 2022.