Tinder Swindler ‘Simon Leviev’ criticises GoFundMe page set up by women he conned out of millions
He called his victims ‘manipulators’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Tinder Swindler, known in the Netflix documentary as “Simon Leviev”, has criticised a GoFundMe page set up by his victims.
“Leviev”, whose real name is Shimon Hayut, is the subject of the new documentary, which explores how he conned a group of women out of millions of dollars. He met these women on dating apps.
The Netflix show, which is currently the streaming service’s most-watched title, reveals that he stole approximately $10m (£7.4m) from his victims.
It’s explained that Hayut lured them in by treating them to expensive dates in order to gain their trust so that they would send him money.
The women featured in the series – Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjöholm, and Ayleen Charlotte – are reportedly still paying off their debts. On Sunday (6 January), they set up a GoFundMe page to help recuperate their losses.
Hayut was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his crimes, but served just five before being released. Days after The Tinder Swindler was launched, he issued a statement on his Instagram page.
“I will share my side of the story in the next few days when I have sorted out the best and most respectful way to tell it, both to the involved parties and myself,” he wrote before deleting his account.
However, Hayut swiftly returned with a new Instagram page and, on Wednesday (9 February), addressed the GoFundMe page.
“Go ahead and help real associations.. not these manipulators,” he wrote, adding: “This is what is called MARKETING.”
He previously denied being a fraud, and criticised the women he scammed.
“If I was a fraud why would I act on Netflix I mean they should have arrested me when we were still shooting [sic],” Hayut wrote on Instagram Stories.
“It’s high time the ladies start saying the truth. If you can’t give them world they’ll turn yours to hell [sic].”
The Tinder Swindler is available to stream on Netflix now.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments