Are you obsessed with The Tinder Swindler? The Netflix documentary follows Simon Leviev, real name Shimon Hayut, as he defrauds women out of thousands of dollars while posing as an ultra-wealthy diamond heir.
So here are some of the real-life facts behind the documentary:
1. Simon has been banned from Tinder. In a statement to Variety, Tinder said, “We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases."
2. In December 2020, Simon reportedly pretended to be a medical worker to receive an early dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
3. Two days after the documentary was released, Simon posted on his Instagram page, saying that he was getting ready to give his side of the story. However, his Instagram is currently no longer active.
4. Lev Leviev, the real-life "King of Diamonds," reportedly previously filed a complaint with the Israeli police about Simon pretending to be his son.
5. LLD Diamonds were seemingly not pleased with Simon's exploits, saying in a statement, "Our sympathies go out to his victims. His fraud has also caused ongoing confusion about our company. Nothing he has said, about LLD or anything else, should be believed."
6. Simon previously denied the allegations against him. “I have the right to choose whatever name I want; I never presented myself as the son of anyone, but people use their imaginations,” he said to Israel’s Channel 12. “Maybe their hearts were broken during the process. I never took a dime from them; these women enjoyed themselves in my company; they traveled and got to see the world on my dime.”
10. That's not the only interview Simon gave as a 29-year-old real estate expert; another one from the same time says that he has a "Netflix biopic" underway: "With a Netflix biopic underway and luxury cars parked in the garage, Leviev’s word is his weight in gold when it comes to real estate."
11. Simon's father is Yohanan Hayut, the chief rabbi for El Al Airlines. In 2019, he was questioned by police over accusations that he had defrauded people by presenting his son to them as Simon Leviev. His attorney denied the claims.
12. Model Kate Konlin and Simon appear to no longer be together. In emails to Radar Online, she said that the pair were still friends, that he was a real estate businessperson, and that the allegations against him were false.
13. We tried to access the website listed in the documentary, but it appears Simon's business advice website is no longer live.
14. One woman who was swindled, Pernilla Sjoholm, is now bankrupt and lives with her mother. “It's still a struggle,” she told GQ. “It was the ultimate betrayal. My friend was out to destroy me.”
15. Another victim, Cecilie Fjellhøy, has advice for people who have been scammed: Get "peer support." She told GQ, “Please don't feel ashamed. Be open and honest, and please, please report."
16. Pernilla and Cecilie appear to still be friends and seemingly went on vacation together last summer.
17. Finally, The Tinder Swindler is directed by Felicity Morris, who produced Don't Fuck With Cats. There will even be a companion podcast that will explore Simon's father, his bodyguard Peter, and his "business partner" Avichay.
There’s A LOT that didn’t make it into #TheTinderSwindler so we made a podcast. More victims, more ruses and a lot more money. The Making of a Swindler is out Feb 9 from @RawTVLtd & @netflix - https://t.co/PSJ7ZB5IEL