In news that’s somewhat inevitable, the Tinder Swindler aka Simon Leviev, has an interview airing in two parts today and tomorrow on Inside Edition. We heard last week that Simon has an agent and is hoping to host a dating podcast, land a dating show and/or write a book. That sounds delusional, but unfortunately there’s a lot of interest in him. He seems to have already been paid for an interview because you know he’s not doing this sh-t for free.
Here’s more and you can see a teaser clip below. EW has another clip.
“I was just a single guy that wanted to meet some girls on Tinder,” Leviev tells Inside Edition in his first interview since the Netflix release, airing in two parts on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22. “I am not a Tinder Swindler.”
In another clip on Entertainment Weekly, he says, “They present it as a documentary but in truth, it’s like a complete made-up movie.”
Leviev, who’s joined by his girlfriend in the interview, also says, “I’m the biggest gentleman in the world.”
The alleged swindler disguised himself under various aliases but is widely recognized as Leviev, who allegedly claimed he worked in a dangerous diamond business and was the son of billionaire Israeli diamond oligarch Lev Leviev.
Though he was convicted of fraud, theft, and forgery and sentenced to 15 months in prison in December 2019, he was released early only five months later.
He was also banned from Tinder after the release of the documentary.
“We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases,” Tinder said in a statement to Variety.
Given how much of a seasoned liar Simon is, I doubt we’ll cover the actual content of his interview. He’s a narcissist and a con artist, and all they do is talk around things and make themselves the victim. You can predict how he’s going to spin this. I feel sorry for the young girlfriend shown in the preview as she’s in for a world of hurt.
Following the popularity of this documentary, both Tinder and Bumble have issued warnings to users about romance scams, which are all too common. Simon has also started another Instagram account, claiming his last one was hacked. In his Instagram stories he’s asking for sponsors.
Two of Simon’s victims, Cecilie Fjellhøy and Pernilla Sjoholm, and the documentary’s director, Felicity Morris, were on the Tamron Hall show last week. Pernilla made it clear that this is serious and that it’s heartbreaking that companies would do business with Simon.
“To be honest, I was heartbroken to see any company to collaborate with a criminal, he is wanted, still, in Europe, so he’s just hiding in Israel at the moment. I think he has crimes against him, allegations against him in the U.S, as well, but no…
“It’s honestly heartbreaking. I mean, like, we’re coming out here, sharing our story, trying to share the world a criminal and what he’s doing and for anyone to collaborate with these types of people, it’s very heartbreaking. To see he has a manager, it’s a woman. As a woman, I don’t know how you can go to bed at night. I mean, this could be your daughter that this happened to, it could be your sister, your family member that this happened to. It’s not that he scammed us, he put death threats on us. It’s serious things.”
[From the Tamron Hall show via ET Canada]
Simon is now on Cameo recording videos for $200 a pop. As we’ve discussed, Simon used coercive control on these women. That angle was missing in the documentary except for what was shown when he threatened Pernilla over the phone. It’s also been missing in most of the media coverage about this case. Simon Leviev is an abusive criminal and shouldn’t be able to capitalize on his crimes.
Please stop covering this POS
@Ines…
Completely agree with you. Why are they giving any kind of air time???? This POS should be locked behind bars for many years to come. Instead, he’s out ready and able to start swindling people out of their money again. Truly hope nobody falls for his shtick and gets robbed of their money. I guess it’s happening already though, because there are some dopes that are actually paying this POS for a recorded message. WTF?????
Really. What I want to know are who are the idiots who actually care about seeing this interview? Why are earth would anybody give a crap what this d**che has to say?
And even more important, who are the morons who are actually paying this POS for a recorded comment from him. WTF is wrong with some people??? Its truly sad.
I don’t understand the power narcissists have over people, but when they’re also a sociopath it seems like they’re unstoppable. They can be exposed for what they are over and over but their confidence still draws people into their orbit. Like Trump. Or any cult leader. . It makes no sense but it’s a real thing. I’d be interested in a show that explores this phenomenon and tries to explain it.
Unless it is a research on sociopaths and uncovering them to the public so they will be protected against them and policies will be able to match in cruelty theirs, I am not okay with this.
++1
We *need* the show you’ve just described.
Check out Laura Richard’s podcast. She basically devotes her life to this (she is ex-Scotland Yard, started an anti-stalking organization and changed laws around coercive control in the UK).
And I agree, I think it is sickening that someone paid to interview this sociopathic POS. He thrives on the attention.
My hope is all the this exposure will serve to put his face and story out there as a warning for future potential victims. But people have short memories and so many women could fall victim to his initial love bombing and charm and elaborate gestures.
Ladies. If it seems too good to be true and like a ‘fairytale’ – it is. Run!
Also, I wouldn’t give a guy I’ve only been dating a short time such large amounts of money (that I didn’t even have), particularly one who claims to be the son of billionaires. Huge red flag. 🚩 Men shouldn’t be asking a woman he’s dating for large amounts of money. Even $100 is a red flag to me. I sure hope he’s not able to swindle more victims but I bet he does. So horrible. What a disgusting POS.
@Heather…
Agreed!!!! If he’s supposed to be related to a billionaire, why on earth would he need to borrow money from anyone???? That would have been my first sign that something wasn’t right about this person.
I just watched it last night and was stuck by how the women involved are the definition of conventionally attractive. Leggy blonde thin … they must all get so much attention from men, plenty of it creepy I’m sure. So clearly they know how to navigate and see through crap most of the time. The second one wasn’t even romantically interested in Simon. But she still gave him money. The illusion of his wealth and the thrill of his dangerous profession drew them in somehow.
They don’t know how to see through crap, because that’s exactly what they’re looking for. They specifically went for him because of his “wealth” and his supposed high status. I would actually say they were very inexperienced daters, because anyone who has been doing it long enough would have clocked his bull from the off.
The only person I liked in that doc was the girlfriend who sold his clothes. The other ones I just couldn’t sympathise with. There was too much white privilege going on there for me.
I see a legitimate business opportunity from this: seminars/podcasts/coaching for women who are online dating. Maybe this already exists? And maybe it includes former con artists who’ve been reformed so they could reveal all the tricks these assholes use to scam women. What a great service this would be.
A man you have been dating a short time asking for large amounts of money (that you don’t personally have), is a huge red flag. Particularly if he has already bragged about his family being billionaires. Even giving a guy $100 is a red flag to me. Men should not be asking women they’re dating for money. Period.
Can a con artist really become reformed? I’m having trouble believing that they can.
No a sociopath cannot be reformed. This isn’t a guy running a shell game on the street for a few bucks. The ability to destroy lives and not care isn’t something they have a pill to cure.
Likely true. So maybe law enforcement who’ve dealt with these assholes?! It’s just all so disgusting!
See: Frank Abagnale who set himself up as a fraud “consultant” after his imprisonment.
But Abagnale still lies (or says things that cannot be corroborated) about his scams/frauds.
Frank Abagnale works for the “good side” only so he doesn’t spend his life in prison, though. It’s a payoff for him. Also his professional seminars cost soooo much. A company I worked for hired him to give a seminar and his price tag was through the roof. He’s still shilling.
This is absolutely heartbreaking. This guys is wanted by police in several countries and he’s going around giving interviews and doing Cameos. Like what is interpol doing?
Simon Leviev isn’t even his real name. It’s his scammer name that fakes a connection between himself and a wealthy family.
He legally changed his name to it. He went to great lenghts to create an electronic footprint to make his cover stories seem legit.
Why is that no matter how horrible a man is. There is some woman willing to stand by his side? I hope this woman has good support system that is looking out for her when the bottom falls out.
I’m reminded of the Stanford rapist who had women wanting to date him. Or again Trump who women voted for. The list goes on disgusting men that women somehow want to be associated with. Some women seem to really be drawn to truly horrible men.