Simon Leviev Biography
Simon Leviev is an Israeli con man who was found guilty of theft, forgery, and fraud. His Hebrew name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, and he was born on September 27, 1990. The Times of Israel reports that between 2017 and 2019, he allegedly used a Ponzi scheme to defraud victims across Europe out of an estimated $10 million. After the publication of an article titled “The Tinder Swindler” by investigative journalists from the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang, with the assistance of Israeli journalist Uri Blau, and later with the release of the 2022 Netflix documentary of the same name, his criminal activity gained widespread attention in 2019.
Leviev received prison terms of 15 months in Israel in 2019 and two years in Finland in 2015. He is still sought after for fraud in multiple nations as of 2019.
Simon Leviev Quick Facts
| Full Real Name | Simon Leviev |
| Nickname | Simon |
| Age (as of 2021) | 30 years old |
| Profession | Actor |
| Date of birth | 1991 |
| Place of Birth | The Israeli city of Bnei Brak |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Religion | Christian. |
| Girlfriend | Polina |
| Net worth | $1 million |
| Height (approx.) | 5 ft 9 inches |
| Weight (approx.) | 56 Kg |
Simon Leviev Early life
Shimon Yehuda Hayut, sometimes known as Leviev, was born in Ramat Elchanan, Bnei Brak, Israel in 1990. Yohanan Hayut, the head rabbi of El Al Airlines, is his father. He went to Brooklyn, New York, in the US with his family’s friends when he was 15 years old, and they later accused him of using their credit card improperly. According to Felicity Morris’ interviews, Leviev has been engaging in small-time crimes like check fraud since he was a youngster. Later, he changed his identity legally from Shimon Hayut to Simon Leviev, pretending to be related to Israeli millionaire Lev Avnerovich Leviev, also known as “The King of Diamonds,” by using the surname Leviev.
Simon Leviev Criminal activity and legal trouble
Hayut was accused of theft, forgery, and fraud in Israel in 2011 after she cashed checks that were stolen. According to accounts, he stole a family’s checkbook while watching their child and another family’s while performing handyman work at their house. With a forged passport bearing the name Mordechai Nisim Tapiro, he fled the nation into Jordan and never appeared in court before making his way to Europe. He was accused with theft and check fraud in 2012 by an Israeli court, as well as for neglecting a five-year-old child he was watching.
He was apprehended in Finland in 2015 and given a three-year prison term for scamming numerous women. He was found with two counterfeit Israeli passports, three forged Israeli driver’s licenses, two fraudulent Israeli flight permits, and five forged American Express credit cards when he was apprehended in Finland. He claimed to be an Israeli male born in 1978.
He returned to Israel in 2017 after completing his sentence early to be renewed and punished. The Times of Israel claims that he afterwards changed his legal name to Simon Leviev, assuming a new identity, and left the nation once more. Hayut toured Europe while posing as several persons. In Germany, he used the name Michael Bilton to take advantage of several women. He also claimed to be the son of Russian-Israeli diamond tycoon Lev Leviev, contacting women on the dating app Tinder as Leviev, and tricking them into giving him loans that he never paid back. He would use money he borrowed from other ladies he had previously deceived to woo women with expensive gifts and fly them to dinners on private jets.
Later, he would send messages and photographs that appeared to show that his bodyguard had been injured, alleging that he was being targeted by his “enemies” and pleading with his victims for financial assistance. They frequently took out bank loans and new credit cards to assist him. In essence, he ran a Ponzi scheme, using the money made from the fraud to recruit new victims. Later, he would submit fraudulent documents showing fictitious bank transfers to appear as though he had paid back his victims.
He was detained by Interpol in Greece in 2019 after using a fake passport. He was given a 15-month prison term in Israel later that year, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, he was released five months later. The Mirror claims that he later charged for “business advice” on a website. The Times of Israel claims that in order to receive the COVID-19 vaccination early in 2020, he pretended to be a medical professional.
Hayut is also wanted by Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Spain for a number of fraud and forgery-related charges. He denied deceiving the women in a 21 February 2022 interview with CNN, saying he was only a “single guy who wanted to meet some girls on Tinder.”
The Leviev family filed a criminal lawsuit against Hayut with the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court in February 2022 for publishing false material, breaching people’s privacy, and breaking trademark agreements. They made another criminal complaint against Hayut in July 2022 for defaming the family. Simon Leviev is the subject of a criminal investigation for the same acts, hence the Israeli prosecutor’s office requested that the hearing regarding the Leviev family complaint be postponed.
The Israeli model Kate Konlin, with whom Hayut was in a relationship, and the two remained so even after the Netflix documentary’s release. However, the two have now split up, and Konlin has accused Hayut of using similar methods to abuse her emotionally and borrow money from her.
Simon Leviev In popular culture
The Tinder Swindler, a video documentary from Netflix, was released in 2022 and tells his narrative as told by several of his victims. The Washington Post claims that Tinder removed Hayut from their app as a result of the documentary’s release. Additionally, he is prohibited from using Match Group Inc.’s Plenty of Fish, Match.com, and OkCupid dating applications.
Leviev signed a contract with talent agent Gina Rodriguez of Gitoni Inc. in 2022, not long after the film’s debut, with the intention of following a career in the entertainment business. Additionally, he had a Cameo account, through which he charged $200 for customized movies and $2,000 for business videos.
What is the Net Worth of Simon Leviev? Salary, Earnings
A million dollars is thought to be Simon Leviev’s net worth. Clearly, his successful acting job is his main source of money.
Simon Leviev- Birth, Age, Ethnicity, Siblings, Education
In 1991, Leviev was born in the Israeli town of Bnei Brak. He will turn 30 in the year 2022. Along with his parents and brothers, he was raised in the United States. Leviev is an Israeli citizen as well. He has multiple ancestries. His spirituality is Christian. His father is Yohanan Hayut, the head rabbi of El Al Airlines. The con man attended a Talmud Torah elementary school when he was younger. Since he was a youngster, he’s been regarded as an experienced burglar.
Simon Leviev- Relationship, Girlfriend
Israeli beauty Polina is now Simon Leviev’s girlfriend. Regarding the model’s true identity, where she is, or how she met Simon Leviev, there isn’t much information accessible.
Body Measurements: Height, Weight, Hair color
Leviev is a 5′ 9″ man. He is 56 kg or so. His hair is dark, and he has lovely, warm black eyes. His dress size, shoe size, biceps, and other physical characteristics are unknown, as are his chest, waist, and hip measurements.
Where is Simon Leviev living now?
“I have the freedom to select any name I wish. People utilize their imaginations, but I never claimed to be anyone’s son,” he remarked.
Where was Simon Leviev born?
Shimon Yehuda Hayut, sometimes known as Leviev, was born in Ramat Elchanan, Bnei Brak, Israel in 1990.
Who is Simon Leviev father?
The most recent episode of this week, “The Rabbi’s Son,” demonstrates that Leviev was at least collaborating with Rabbi Yohanan Hayut as recently as 2017. The next tale, which involves deceit and a visit to the police station, raises the question of whether the Hayut family is particularly susceptible to scams.
How does Simon Leviev get his money now?
“I am making a hell of a lot of money thanks to Netflix every day,” the speaker said. Now that he is wealthy, he attributes it to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, saying: “This is how you make the money in places that people don’t want to touch. If I have faith in it, I’ll pursue it.
How many people did Simon Leviev take money from?
“I am making a hell of a lot of money every day thanks to Netflix,” the speaker said. He now attributes his wealth to cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, arguing that this is how one makes money in areas that other people don’t want to touch. I’ll pursue something if I truly believe in it.
Who did Simon Leviev pretend to be?
Under his birth name, he was found guilty of fraud in Finland, but he used Simon Leviev for his Tinder swindle, posing as the son of billionaire diamond mogul Lev Leviev. He is said to have changed his name to David Sharon to avoid detection when his identity was disclosed in a VG exposé.
How did Simon Leviev start?
With a desire for a life of luxury, Simon abandoned his yeshiva studies and began his career as a con artist in his early teens. He wrote himself a cheque for 250,000 NIS to purchase a Porsche after stealing a checkbook from a house where he performed gardening services. He then sold the Porsche and utilized the proceeds to enroll in a flight school.
