Israeli con artist Simon Leviev, who was featured in the widely viewed 2022 Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia, according to local authorities. Leviev, 34, was taken into custody at Interpol’s request after landing at Batumi airport in southwestern Georgia, the country’s interior ministry reported on Monday.
Leviev became infamous after the documentary revealed his involvement in multiple cases of romance scams and financial fraud, reportedly totaling around $10 million (£7.4 million). He allegedly posed as the affluent heir of a diamond empire on the dating app Tinder, convincing women to lend him substantial sums of money that he never repaid. Leviev has previously denied these accusations.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the reason for the arrest of Simon Leviev, whose birth name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut. In 2019, Leviev was convicted on four counts of fraud in a separate case and sentenced to 15 months in prison, though he served only five months before being released. According to Israel’s Ynet website, his lawyer stated that Leviev had been “traveling freely around the world.” After his detention in Georgia, the lawyer added, “I spoke with him this morning, but we still don’t understand the reason.”
Between 2017 and 2019, Leviev ran a catfishing scheme, creating a fake online persona to lure women into romantic relationships, presenting a lavish lifestyle featuring private jets and luxury vacations. His victims recounted in the Netflix documentary that Leviev used glamorous gifts and trips to win their trust, later claiming he was in danger from supposed “enemies” and asking them to send him large sums of money, after which he would disappear.
One victim, Cecilie Fjellhøy, said she gave Leviev over $270,000 during their relationship. In 2024, another woman, Iren Tranov, filed a lawsuit in Israel for 414,000 shekels (£91,000), claiming she lent Leviev more than 144,000 shekels (£31,000) that were never repaid. Leviev has consistently denied all accusations highlighted in the documentary.
Additionally, in 2023, former girlfriend Kate Konlin accused Leviev of emotional and physical abuse. She described an incident where he allegedly pushed her, causing her to cut her foot on a step, leaving her bleeding and in distress. She filed a police complaint, but Leviev rejected the claims, insisting he never harmed any woman.
The Tinder Swindler went on to become Netflix’s most-watched documentary in 90 countries after its release in February 2022.
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