By Dewi Rina Cahyani
Copyright tempo
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Notorious conman from Israel, Simon Leviev, who gained fame through the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia. According to TRT, Simon Leviev, 34, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, became famous after investigative reports and media coverage exposed his pattern of fraud and financial crimes.”He was arrested at Batumi airport (a city on the Black Sea) at the request of Interpol,” said Interior Ministry spokesperson Tato Kuchava, without providing further details.The story of Simon Leviev gained attention from 2017 to 2019. He is alleged to have used the dating app Tinder to pose as a wealthy heir and swindle women into lending him large sums of money, which were never repaid.This was purportedly one of the most famous examples of “catfishing,” creating a false online persona to emotionally and financially entangle victims. In Leviev’s case, he flaunted a fake luxurious lifestyle, including a personal bodyguard and private jet. The cost of his deception was incredibly high.The Netflix documentary released in 2022 tells the stories of several individuals who were allegedly his victims. According to Netflix, Hayut’s victims were scattered across Norway, Finland, and Sweden, with estimated losses of around US$10 million.”I spoke with him this morning after he was detained, but we do not yet understand the reason. He has been traveling freely around the world,” said Leviev’s lawyer to the Israeli media outlet Walla, as cited by New York Post.Leviev fled Israel in 2011 before he could be sentenced for charges of fraud, theft, and forgery. He served a two-year sentence in a Finnish prison from 2015 to 2017 for defrauding several women before being extradited back to Israel in 2017.He then fled Israel again using a fake passport until Interpol apprehended him in Greece in 2019. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his fraud in Israel. Leviev was released early in May 2020, having served only five months in prison amidst COVID-19 concerns.Editor’s Choice: Find Your Match: Here are 6 Popular Dating AppsClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
