Simon Leviev, the Israeli man who became notorious worldwide as the “Tinder Swindler” after a Netflix documentary exposed his alleged scams, has been arrested in Georgia. Authorities confirmed that Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained at Batumi International Airport over the weekend on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice.
The arrest brings renewed attention to a man whose story has fascinated and infuriated audiences across the globe. Leviev, now 35, is accused of swindling women he met on dating apps out of millions of dollars by posing as the son of a wealthy diamond mogul.
Leviev was intercepted by Georgian border police as he attempted to enter the country. Officials said the arrest followed an international alert issued through Interpol, though they declined to specify which country initiated the request.
A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant but rather a request for law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally detain a suspect until extradition proceedings can be initiated. For Leviev, it signals that at least one jurisdiction is actively seeking to put him on trial.
Leviev’s alleged modus operandi became infamous through the 2022 Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler. The film portrayed him as a man who cultivated the appearance of a glamorous billionaire playboy, complete with private jets, luxury hotels, and expensive gifts.
Women featured in the documentary said he wooed them with romantic gestures and lavish spending before convincing them that his life was in danger due to vague threats from “enemies.” Claiming he needed to move discreetly, Leviev allegedly persuaded them to hand over tens of thousands of dollars — money he never repaid.
Investigators across Europe have linked him to fraud stretching from Norway to the UK. The total sum he is thought to have extracted from victims is estimated at up to $10 million.
This is not Leviev’s first encounter with the law.
In 2015, he was convicted in Finland for defrauding three women and served a two-year prison sentence.
In 2019, after being deported from Greece, he was sentenced in Israel to 15 months in prison for theft, forgery, and fraud. He served only five months before being released.
Despite these convictions, Leviev managed to reinvent himself, continuing to cultivate a following on social media and even appearing to launch business ventures in the aftermath of the Netflix documentary.
When The Tinder Swindler premiered in February 2022, it quickly became one of Netflix’s most talked-about true-crime hits. The documentary introduced Leviev to a global audience, framing him as both a master manipulator and a symbol of the risks of online dating.
Public reaction was swift. While many expressed sympathy for his alleged victims, some were drawn to Leviev’s flamboyant persona, paradoxically boosting his notoriety. He gained tens of thousands of new social media followers and at one point even hinted at potential reality TV appearances.
For law enforcement, however, the documentary increased pressure to act. Several European countries revisited cases linked to him, and advocacy groups demanded accountability.
With his arrest in Georgia, Leviev’s future hinges on extradition proceedings. Legal experts note that extradition can be a lengthy process, often involving months of hearings and appeals.