‘Tinder Swindler’ Simon Leviev arrested in Georgia after Interpol request

Simon Leviev, the 'Israeli' fraudster made infamous by Netflix’s hit documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia, officials confirmed Monday.

The 34-year-old, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained at Batumi airport in the country’s southwest following an Interpol request, Georgia’s interior ministry said. Authorities have not yet disclosed the grounds for his arrest.

Leviev rose to global notoriety after a 2022 Netflix investigation revealed how he masqueraded as the son of a diamond tycoon on dating app Tinder, tricking women into believing he was wealthy and then persuading them to lend him vast sums of money. The scheme, which unfolded between 2017 and 2019, reportedly netted an estimated USD 10 million. Leviev has consistently denied the allegations.

Victims who spoke in the documentary described being swept into relationships through lavish trips on private jets, expensive gifts, and luxury holidays, only to be told later that Leviev was in danger from shadowy “enemies” and needed urgent financial help. After securing the loans, he would vanish.

One of those victims, Norwegian woman Cecilie Fjellhøy, said she transferred more than USD 270,000 to him during their relationship. Another woman, Iren Tranov, filed a lawsuit last year in 'Israel' for 414,000 shekels (USD 124.061), claiming she lent Leviev 144,000 shekels (USD 9,289) that was never repaid.

The Netflix film became the platform’s most-watched documentary in 90 countries shortly after its February 2022 release.

Leviev’s lawyer told 'Israel’s' Ynet news site that he had been moving freely across borders prior to Monday’s arrest. “I spoke with him this morning after he was detained, but we don’t yet understand the reason,” the lawyer said.

This is not Leviev’s first encounter with the law. In 2019, he was convicted on four separate counts of fraud and sentenced to 15 months in prison in 'Israel', though he served only five before being released.

His personal life has also been the subject of scrutiny. In 2023, his former girlfriend, Israeli model Kate Konlin, alleged he had physically and emotionally abused her during their relationship.

“I was bleeding. I felt dead. I wanted to kill myself,” she told the BBC, describing an incident in which she said he pushed her during an argument. Leviev denied the allegations, insisting he had never harmed any woman.