Fans of true-crime stories are about to hear a tale of a man that is quite possibly one of the most prolific, sophisticated con-men that the world has ever seen. 31-year-old Shimon Hayut pretended to be a billionaire named Simon Leviev and claimed to be the son of a billionaire Russian-Israeli diamond mogul. He's a slippery fish that has been able to successfully swindle hundreds of thousands of dollars from women he meets on Tinder, and when fans see the depths of his deception, it will make many people think twice before swiping right.
This gripping documentary tilted The Tinder Swindler was released on Netflix on February 2nd and has proven to be a rollercoaster ride like no other. Viewers met some of the women that Shimon Hayut defrauded and learned how he managed to swindle so much money from innocent women in various parts of the world.
Updated on March 16, 2022: The Tinder Swindler was an immediate success when it dropped on Netflix in February 2022. It was watched by millions of people around the world, becoming the first documentary to land at the top of Netflix's weekly viewing chart. It has a 96% critics score and 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, showing that it was clearly well-liked by most who watched it. According to reports, Netflix is already planning to capitalize on the success of the documentary by producing a dramatized movie version of the story.
10 'The Tinder Swindler' Is A Real-Life, Gripping Tale
Hold on to your seats and get ready to be part of a whirlwind story. The tale of the Tinder Swindler may seem like it was designed for television, but it is actually a real-life, true-crime story. It may seem too wild to be true, but the only 'fake' thing about this hot new Netflix flick is Simon's alias name and the lies he tells to the women he defrauds.
9 Shimon Hayut's Lifestyle Is Incredibly Lavish
Upon first glance, it's easy to believe that Shimon Hayut's lifestyle is one of incredible privilege. He has private jets, a number of fancy cars, and dresses to impress. He is surrounded by a bodyguard as well as a secretary, and it's easy to get caught up in the very lavish lifestyle that he leads. The only problem is none of the money he's spending so freely is actually his. He is defrauding the women he meets and is living off their loans and life savings.
8 Shimon Spoiled His 'Girlfriends' And Seemed Very Believable
Upon interacting with Shimon on Tinder, the women he met were immediately spoiled and treated to some very luxurious vacations and expensive dates. They are flown around the world in his private jet and are treated to some of the most elaborate nights out that they have ever experienced in their lives. The women are able to enjoy being driven in his fancy cars, and as they're wined and dined by this very charming man who always has the right words to say, they quickly fall in love with the con-artist.
7 Shimon Hayut's Swindling Ways Will Shock You
Simon Leviev seems to be the ideal man, and as his girlfriends fall in love with him, they truly believe he feels the same. He's different from other con-men, in the sense that he takes his time and really manipulates these relationships before switching gears and asking for money to be sent his way.
He invests time earning the trust of the women he will soon take advantage of and keeps in touch with them daily. They remain completely unaware of his swindling ways and have no idea that their 'relationship' is nothing more than a criminal grooming them for what will soon be the biggest financial mistake they ever make.
6 Shimon Hayut Had An Iron-Clad Tactic
One of the most notable aspects of Shimon Hayut's swindling ways is the manner in which he can somehow convince his victims that he is in dire need of assistance. He acts as though he is truly in danger and asks the women to send him money to save his life. Shimon, pretending to be Simon, has sent videos of his security guard bloodied and injured and declared that his safety is at risk. He requests money so that he can avoid leaving a digital trail of his whereabouts. The women are convinced they are loaning him money temporarily, until he is safe and can access his own funds to repay them. Of course, he never does.
5 'The Tinder Swindler' Will Introduce Some Of The Ladies Victimized By Shimon Hayut
Netflix captures this gripping tale with true intensity by speaking directly to some of Shimon Hayut's victims. As they share their first-hand experiences, it becomes evident that they all tell a similar tale and each of them truly believed to have been involved in a genuine relationship with Simon Leviev. The Tinder Swindler does a deep dive into the gripping tales of Cecilie Fjellhoy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte and touches on every aspect of their relationships with Simon Leviev/Shimon Hayut. Each victim describes the clever various tactics used to take advantage of them.
4 Shimon Hayut's Victims Take Out Huge Loans And Suffer Severe Financial Losses
There's no doubt about the fact that Shimon Hayut has perfected his art. His crafty manipulation of these women has led each of them to take drastic measures to send him money. Truly fearing for the safety of a man they had fallen in love with, each of the ladies gave up all the money they had and turned to banks for loans to get even more. Cecilie found herself in a precarious situation after taking out loans from ten different banks to help the man she believed to be her boyfriend.
3 Shimon Hayut's Criminal History Is Revealed
Shimon Hayut has built an entire life around defrauding women he meets on the internet, and after doing so for such an extended time, more than a few of his victims had tipped off the police. He was charged with forgery, fraud, and theft in 2011, but he failed to appear in court. He was later convicted of three counts of major fraud in 2015. An additional criminal case was launched against him in 2017, but he failed to appear again.
Warrants for his arrest were issued, and he was reported for crimes in Israel, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Norway and England. In 2019, he was arrested by Greek police and extradited to Israel where he was convinced of theft and fraud. Shockingly, he served just 5 out of 15 months of his jail sentence and is now at large once again.
2 When Simon Leviev's 'Girlfriends' Caught On To His Tactics, They Were Threatened
A few of his victims caught on to what was happening and tried confronting Simon Leviev/Shimon Hayut, and as soon as he realized his cover was blown, Shimon would proceed to threaten the women, making them fear for their lives. He made the women feel as though turning him in to the authorities was going to be met with his revenge, and there's no telling how many victims out there are suffering in silence, having never turned him in.
1 Shimon Hayut's Victims Teamed Up Against Him
In an interesting twist, some of Shimon's victims were able to connect with one another and used their painful experiences to flip the script on Shimon. With power in numbers, the ladies proceeded to band together and see that justice would be served. They shared common stories about how they suffered at Shimon's expense and worked together to produce evidence for the authorities that would hopefully serve to put an end to Shimon Hayut's devious ways.