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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Inside Edition will air an interview with "<keyword id="13125231" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-tinder-swindler" source="Orion">The Tinder Swindler</keyword>" subject <keyword id="13125232" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shimon-hayut" source="Orion">Shimon Hayut</keyword> on February 21 and 22.</li><li>Hayut, who goes by <keyword id="13125233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="simon-leviev" source="Orion">Simon Leviev</keyword>, said in an interview clip that he's not the "<keyword id="13198677" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tinder-swindler" source="Orion">Tinder Swindler</keyword>."</li></ul>The subject of <keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword>'s "The Tinder Swindler" denies the claims made against him during an exclusive interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xfWUrJKkHI">Insider Edition</a> that's scheduled to air on February 21 and 22.Shimon Hayut, who went by the alias Simon Leviev, gave his first interview since the Netflix <keyword id="11982316" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="documentary" source="Orion">documentary</keyword> began streaming on February 2. "The Tinder Swindler" follows a group of women who say they were tricked out of millions of dollars by Hayut, who is accused of posing as the son of a diamond mogul named Lev Leviev."I was just a single guy who wanted to meet some girls on Tinder," Hayut says in the clip. He is joined in the interview by his rumored girlfriend, who <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a39021964/who-is-the-tinder-swindler-girlfriend/">Cosmopolitan identified</a> as Israeli model Kate Konlin.Representatives for Hayut declined to comment. Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.The interview comes after Hayut pushed back against the claims made in the documentary. <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-responds-accusations-instagram-2022-2">As previously reported by Insider's Yasmin Garaad</a>, Hayut said, "It's high time the ladies start saying the truth" and "If you can't give them world they want they'll turn yours to hell" in an Instagram story prior to the removal of his account.Hayut also recently joined <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cameo.com%2F">Cameo</a>, where he's currently charging $299 for a personalized video and $1,999 for a video for business use. <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-accuser-says-his-cameo-account-is-heartbreaking-2022-2">Insider's Yasmin Garaad previously reported</a> that he was charging $200 for a personal video and $1,400 for a business video. It's unclear what caused the price increase.A spokesperson for <keyword id="12014907" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cameo" source="Orion">Cameo</keyword> previously told Insider that the company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cameo-defends-decision-to-partner-with-tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-2022-2">"does not endorse the beliefs or opinions of the talent</a> or fans who use our platform" after receiving backlash for featuring Hayut on its "new and noteworthy" roster.Accusers Pernilla Sjoholm and Cecilie Fjellhøy joined "The Tindler Swindler" director Felicity Morris on the <a href="https://tamronhallshow.com/videos/the-women-conned-by-the-tinder-swindler-speak-out/">"Tamron Hall" show on Thursday</a> in a virtual appearance. Sjoholm said on the show that she was "heartbroken" to see any company "collaborate with a criminal."

Simon Leviev says he's not a 'Tinder Swindler' in first interview since premiere of Netflix documentary

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword>'s documentary "<keyword id="13125231" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-tinder-swindler" source="Orion">The Tinder Swindler</keyword>" is about a man accused of scamming women into debt.</li><li><keyword id="13125232" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shimon-hayut" source="Orion">Shimon Hayut</keyword>, who went by the alias <keyword id="13125233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="simon-leviev" source="Orion">Simon Leviev</keyword>, pushed back on the documentary using Instagram.</li></ul>Shimon Hayut, who went by the alias Simon Leviev and was the subject of Netflix's "<a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">The Tinder Swindler</a>," is pushing back against the claims in the true-crime documentary.On Monday, Hayut's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/simon__leviev__official/?utm_medium=copy_link">Instagram</a> account was peppered with responses to the documentary, which premiered on February 2. But within hours, the entire account had been removed. "If I was a fraud why would I act on Netflix," the text read in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/simon__leviev__official/?utm_medium=copy_link">an Instagram story shared to his followers</a>. "I mean they should have arrested me when we were still shooting. It's high time the ladies start saying the truth."He continued: "If you can't give them world they want they'll turn yours to hell. I will be addressing the whole world on Friday. Stay tuned and tag others."In another story seen by Insider prior to its removal, Hayut added: "Say my name #simontruth."Representatives for Instagram did not immediately return Insider's request for comment about why Hayut's account (which was featured in parts of the Netflix documentary) has been removed or deactivated.As shown at the end of "The Tinder Swindler," Hayut was asked by the documentary creators to take part in the feature, but his only response was a voice message that accused the team of defamation. It's unclear at this point what Hayut's Instagram mention of "acting" or "shooting" anything on Netflix was in reference to. "The Tinder Swindler" follows a group of women who set out to track down a dating app user who they say tricked them out of millions of dollars with the help of the media and local police.<a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">As previously reported by Insider</a>, Finnish investigative journalists, with help from women who said they were conned by Hayut, <a href="https://www.vg.no/spesial/2019/tindersvindleren/english/">found out his true identity in 2019</a>. He was arrested and convicted in Finland in 2015 on charges of defrauding several women, serving two years in prison. In December of 2019, he was also <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/tinder-swindler-released-from-prison-early-infuriating-fraud-victims/">sentenced to 15 months in prison in Israel</a> after twice fleeing the country to avoid charges of theft, forgery, and fraud in 2011 and again in 2017. Hayut served five of the 15 months before being released in May of 2020.Netflix's "The Tinder Swindler" documentary alleged he's scammed an estimated $10 million from women he's dated and families he's worked for, and he has been reported to police in seven different countries.On Friday, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-banned-netflix-1235172495/">Variety reported</a> that Tinder said Hayut is no longer actively using the app."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 <a href="https://variety.com/">Variety</a>.After the documentary premiered on Wednesday, Hayut said his <a href="https://thetab.com/uk/2022/02/07/the-tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-instagram-account-hacked-deleted-239201">social media account was hacked</a>. On Friday, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-shimon-hayut-netflix-b2009011.html">he thanked his followers</a> for their "support," adding: "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."By Monday morning, his account was active once again. Many Instagram posts from Hayut's account, who still identifies himself as Leviev, appeared on his story page throughout Monday morning and afternoon. Then, without warning, the account was gone again. "<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254340">The Tinder Swindler</a>" is available now on Netflix.

'The Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev pushes back against Netflix documentary accusations: 'They should have arrested me'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-tinder-swindler">The Tinder Swindler</a>" is accused of spending $2 million on private planes by the real Leviev family.</li><li>Shimon Hayut, who went by the alias <keyword id="13125233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="simon-leviev" source="Orion">Simon Leviev</keyword>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">said he was the son of billionaire</a> Lev Leviev.</li></ul>The man at the center of "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-tinder-swindler">The Tinder Swindler</a>" documentary is accused of spending $2 million "just on private jets" by the real Leviev family.Shimon Hayut, the subject of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-netflix-tips-and-tricks">Netflix</a>'s viral doc "<a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">The Tinder Swindler</a>," went by the alias Simon Leviev and <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">said he was the son of billionaire</a> Russian-Israeli diamond mogul, Lev Leviev.On Monday, the real Leviev family filed a private criminal complaint against Hayut. In court documents filed in Tel Aviv and <a href="https://people.com/crime/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-is-sued-by-the-real-diamond-dynasty-whose-name-he-took/">obtained by People magazine</a>, the lawsuit says that "for a long time, he [Hayut] has been making false representations as being the son of Lev Leviev and receiving numerous benefits (including material ones)."Chagit Leviev-Sofiev, the real daughter of the diamond mogul, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lbrasiGS-Q">appeared on Access Hollywood</a> Wednesday, revealing how Hayut has affected her family and their business reputation."We've been contacted by several charter companies, brokers for yachts, for private planes, private jets," she began. "These companies were trying to collect debt — debt that Shimon left behind — and Shimon said that his family, his company is going to pay for all of it."However, Hayut has no relations or connections to the Leviev family.Leviev-Sofiev added that Hayut has been using the family name for "at least" five years now. A day before the <keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword> documentary premiered on February 2, she added that "a person from the UK called us and said that our brother offered him a very sketchy deal."After they asked which brother had offered them the deal, the person said: Simon."And we told him Simon is not a family member," Leviev-Sofiev continued. "So the guy has been using our name relentlessly." According to Leviev-Sofiev, the family's business has also received backlash on social media and via email due to being affiliated with "<keyword id="13125231" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-tinder-swindler" source="Orion">The Tinder Swindler</keyword>" documentary. Yet, she emphasized on Access Hollywood that "people still don't understand that we're just as much a victim here."Insider reached out to a rep for Hayut but didn't immediately hear back. However, a rep told Access Hollywood in a statement that "Simon believes the family is just trying to insert themselves in the narrative of publicity after the show's success." As <a href="https://www.insider.com/simon-leviev-says-hes-not-tinder-swindler-in-new-interview-2022-2">previously reported by Insider's Gabi Stevenson</a>, Hayut denied the accusations, which were made in the documentary, that he defrauded three women out of thousands of dollars."I was just a single guy who wanted to meet some girls on Tinder," Hayut said during an exclusive interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xfWUrJKkHI">Inside Edition</a>."<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254340">The Tinder Swindler</a>" is available now on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-netflix-tips-and-tricks">Netflix</a>.

'The Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev is accused of spending $2 million on private jets alone by the real Leviev family

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Netflix's documentary "The <keyword id="11907521" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tinder" source="Orion">Tinder</keyword> Swindler" is about man who scammed women into debt.</li><li>Shimon Hayut lied about his identity saying he was real-life billionaire diamond mogul Lev Leviev's son.</li></ul>When 29-year-old Cecilie Fjellhøy met Simon Leviev on Tinder in 2018, she thought she'd scored the man of her dreams. He was handsome, generous, thoughtful, and rich.At the time, Leviev told Fjellhøy he worked for his billionaire father in the diamond industry. Their online <keyword id="11910860" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="relationship" source="Orion">relationship</keyword> quickly evolved into dates on private jets and at five-star hotels, massive flower bouquets, and romantic banter over phone calls and texts.So when Fjellhøy learned Leviev had put her in debt for $250,000, an amount he once promised to return to her, she was stunned. She's still paying that money back today.In Netflix's documentary <a href="https://www.netflix.com/thetinderswindler">"The Tinder Swindler,"</a> Fjellhøy and two other women who said they were victims of Leviev's scams, explain how they fell for the Israeli hustler, whose real name is Shimon Hayut. The documentary premieres on February 2.In 2019, Finnish investigative journalists, with help from women who said they were conned by Hayut, <a href="https://www.vg.no/spesial/2019/tindersvindleren/english/">found out his true identity</a>. He was arrested in Finland in 2015 for scamming three other women, but after two years in prison, he was back to scheming. Since 2018, he's scammed an estimated $10 million from women he's dated and families he's worked for, and has been reported to police in seven different countries, according to "The Tinder Swindler."In 2019, Hayut was sentenced to 15 months in an Israeli prison for fraud and identity theft and ordered to pay $43,289. But after five months, he was released and has since been spotted <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/tinder-swindler-faked-being-medic-conned-his-way-into-early-vaccine-report/">pretending to be a medic and cutting COVID-19 vaccine lines</a>, according to the Times of Israel.<h2>The Tinder Swindler's exes say they gave him money because they feared he was in danger</h2>Pernilla Sjoholm was another one of Hayut's fraud victims.Like Fjellhøy, Sjoholm met Hayut on Tinder and was intrigued by his apparent wealth and charisma. They decided to be friends instead of lovers, but she still lent Hayut enough money to put herself into debt, she said in the documentary.Hayut would say he needed to borrow Fjellhøy's credit card, or ask her to lend him money, saying he needed to appear untraceable due to his family's diamond business. Hayut said he was the son of real-life Russian-Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev, but an investigation later uncovered he has no ties to the Leviev family.But when Hayut would tell Fjellhøy, Sjoholm, and other women he feared for his safety and needed the money to run from his enemies, they felt they had no choice but to help the man they loved, his former lovers said in the documentary.They said Hayut would ask for money after weeks or months of <a href="https://www.insider.com/love-bombing-dating-showing-huge-affection-early-red-flag-experts-2022-1">love-bombing</a>, or showering his Tinder matches with gifts, trips, and promises of a future together. He called Fjellhøy his "future wife" in one voice message, she told <a href="https://www.vg.no/spesial/2019/tindersvindleren/english/">the journalists at outlet Verdens Gang who broke the story in 2019</a>."It felt good to be able to give it to him and say, 'Here's my credit card. I managed it,'" Fjellhøy <a href="https://www.vg.no/spesial/2019/tindersvindleren/english/">told Verdens Gang</a>.While Fjellhøy waited for the $500,000 Hayut promised to reimburse her to hit her account, she got a call from the bank saying he forged the document, and she would never get the money.She and other victims said they later learned Hayut would use one woman's money to buy another a plane ticket, or fund his own trips, giving the illusion of wealth.<h2>Hayut was arrested and charged with fraud and identity theft</h2>Fjellhøy and Sjoholm met once Finnish journalists began investigating their individual stories, and worked with a third victim, Ayleen Charlotte, to confirm Hayut's identity and have him arrested.In June 2019, Interpol and Israeli police arrested Hayut and <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10387939/New-Netflix-doc-tells-story-Shimon-Hayut-prolific-conman-known-Tinder-Swindler.html">charged him with fraud and identity theft</a>. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but only served five months before being released.According to the Times of Israel, <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/tinder-swindler-released-from-prison-early-infuriating-fraud-victims/">Hayut was released</a> as part of a program to reduce inmate numbers and pandemic infections.According to the documentary, Hayut now lives in Israel.

A Tinder con artist catfished women and persuaded them to give him hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to be a billionaire's son, according to a new documentary

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword>'s documentary "<keyword id="13125231" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-tinder-swindler" source="Orion">The Tinder Swindler</keyword>" is about a man accused of scamming women into debt.</li><li>The women tracked down the Tinder user who they say tricked them out of millions of dollars.</li></ul>Three women who claim the "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-tinder-swindler">Tinder Swindler</a>" tricked them out of millions of dollars have started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/75c8gg-help-the-victims-of-the-tinder-swindler">GoFundMe</a> for their debts."The Tinder Swindler" follows Cecilie Fjellhøy, Ayleen Koeleman, and Pernilla Sjoholm as they set out to track down <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">Shimon Hayut</a> (who went by the alias <keyword id="13125233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="simon-leviev" source="Orion">Simon Leviev</keyword>). The women say they were "scammed" into lending Hayut money, which led to several of them winding up in debt. Now, three of the women have set up a fundraising page to raise a goal of £600,000, or about $812,700. So far the trio has raised over $50,000.The team fundraiser statement reads: "You're probably here because you've heard about our story, and we appreciate you taking the time to search and find this page."They continue: "The past few days have been a whirlwind, and we three (Ayleen, Pernilla and Cecilie) have been completely shocked and floored by the flood of compassion and support from everyone. The sheer love is more than we ever expected, and we appreciate you all so much."Hayut was arrested and convicted in Finland in 2015 on charges of defrauding three women, serving two years in prison. In December of 2019, he was also <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/tinder-swindler-released-from-prison-early-infuriating-fraud-victims/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sentenced to 15 months in prison in Israel</a> after twice fleeing the country to avoid charges of theft, forgery, and fraud in 2011 and again in 2017. Hayut served five of the 15 months before being released in May of 2020.At the time of writing, Hayut is not currently facing any charges related to allegations from Fjellhøy, Koeleman, and Sjoholm, the three women behind the <keyword id="11918258" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gofundme" source="Orion">GoFundMe</keyword> page.After the documentary premiered on Wednesday, Hayut <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-shimon-hayut-netflix-b2009011.html">thanked his followers</a> for their support, adding: "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."<a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-responds-accusations-instagram-2022-2">Hayut has since pushed back against the claims</a> in the true-crime documentary, saying in since-deleted Instagram stories that he is innocent and would've been arrested if he was guilty."<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254340">The Tinder Swindler</a>" is available now on Netflix.

3 women who say the 'Tinder Swindler' put them in debt created a GoFundMe page to raise over $800,000

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The ex-girlfriend of Simon Leviev watched the "Tinder Swindler" documentary with him.</li><li>She alleged to the BBC she had also suffered emotional and financial abuse by Leviev.</li></ul>The ex-girlfriend of Simon Leviev, also known as the "Tinder Swindler," has told the BBC that she watched the documentary about her abusive boyfriend while sitting next to him. The Israeli model Kate Konlin <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-64666638" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the BBC,</a> "He's called every woman who has spoken out against him a liar. He doesn't want me to tell my story of emotional abuse."The 23-year-old spoke of how her relationship with Leviev was "perfect" at the beginning, just as it was with the women who appeared in the "Tinder Swindler" documentary. "At first, our relationship was a love bomb," Konlin told the BBC. "He was obsessed with me."She thought that this is what real love should be. Soon, however, the loving and doting relationship turned sour, with Leviev — who was born as Shimon Heyada Hayut — constantly criticizing Konlin's looks, clothes, and weight. She lost herself in the 18-month-long relationship, she told the BBC. She said the relationship continued to become more and more abusive, with Leviev asking Konlin for hundreds of thousands of dollars. She told the BBC he owes her $150,000.In a voice note played to the BBC, Leviev screams at Konlin for money.He is recorded as saying, "Kate, I'm a millionaire! And that's a fact. At the moment, I'm stuck. Understand? I'm stuck! Do you understand that in your screwed-up brain? That bird brain of yours. I'm stuck, Kate. I didn't steal from you. You gave it to me of your own free will. You lent it to me. I'm stuck, that's all."This mirrors the events that took place in the "Tinder Swindler" documentary, where Leviev scammed multiple women out of roughly $10 million. He continues to deny the allegations.Konlin told the BBC that she watched the documentary while sitting on the couch next to Leviev, who controlled her and persuaded her to defend him. "He told me, 'If you stick up for me, people will believe me, because you are a woman,"' she told the BBC. Konlin said she left Leviev after the toxicity in their relationship intensified and after, she said, he pushed her, causing her to injure her foot and call an ambulance. When she was getting into the ambulance, Leviev filmed her and shouted that nothing had happened to her. Konlin made a complaint to the police. Leviev denied he had ever been physically violent to any woman when the BBC questioned him about the incident.Leviev was arrested and convicted in Finland in 2015 on charges of defrauding several women, serving two years in prison.In December 2019, he was also <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/tinder-swindler-released-from-prison-early-infuriating-fraud-victims/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced to 15 months in prison in Israel</a> after fleeing the country twice in an attempt to avoid charges of theft, forgery, and fraud in 2011 and again in 2017. Leviev served five of the 15 months before being released in May 2020.Despite being a convicted con man, with many of his victims having spoken out about the emotional and financial abuse they endured at the hands of Leviev, he continues to have a massive social-media following.

Woman describes sitting next to 'Tinder Swindler' boyfriend while watching hit Netflix documentary

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The hit Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler," raised awareness about <keyword id="11911213" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dating" source="Orion">dating</keyword> app <keyword id="12273077" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="scams" source="Orion">scams</keyword>, also called romance scams.</li><li>Romance scam victims lost $1.3 billion total in the past 5 years, according to the FTC.</li></ul>Over the past five years, singles on dating apps reported <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/data-spotlight/2022/02/reports-romance-scams-hit-record-highs-2021">losing an estimated $1.3 billion</a> from romance scams, making them the most costly type of <keyword id="11893299" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fraud" source="Orion">fraud</keyword> in the US, according to the FTC.Netflix's February documentary <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">"The Tinder Swindler"</a> explored the issue and reignited conversation about con artists who hide in plain sight on dating apps. Shimon Hayut was <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/simon-leviev-subject-netflixs-tinder-swindler-banned-dating-apps-rcna15330">banned from dating platforms</a>, like Tinder and Hinge, after he posed as a wealthy diamond salesman and took hundreds of thousands of dollars <a href="https://www.insider.com/women-say-tinder-swindler-put-them-in-debt-set-gofundme-2022-2">from women he met on Tinder</a> after convincing them he was in danger and needed the funds.In recent months, other <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crypto-scammers-fake-romance-on-dating-apps-like-hinge-2022-2">dating app fraudsters</a> have also made headlines.In January, a man in Denver <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/17393747/lost-million-honey-trapped-hinge-crypto-scam/">told The Sun</a> he lost $1.6 million after a Hinge match told him to invest it into a retirement account. In February, a 24-year-old woman said she gave a Hinge match her $300,000 in life savings to invest into a cryptocurrency exchange site that turned out to be fake, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/technology/crypto-scammers-new-target-dating-apps.html?mc_cid=dc3c00e37b&amp;mc_eid=e20e13237e">the New York Times reported</a>. That same month, a couple was sent to prison for their involvement in a scheme <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/romance-scams-ftc-federal-trade-commission">to swindle multiple senior citizens out of $660,000.</a> There are ways to preemptively protect yourself from identity theft and financial fraud, Mark Kapczynski, SVP of strategic partnerships at <keyword id="6361948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cybersecurity" source="Orion">cybersecurity</keyword> service OneRep, told Insider.He suggested removing personal information from Google searches, keeping your cell phone number private for as long as possible, and researching your date before you meet in person.<h2>Scrub your personal data from internet searches</h2>Even if a dating-app match only has your first name, general location, and picture, they can still track you down with a quick internet search, said Kapczynski."There are literally 150 or 200 sites that will have your personal information on them, and those sites make it super easy for someone you might meet online dating to look up your information, find your phone, find where you live, and, decide how they want to engage with you versus you controlling the situation," Kapczynski told Insider.He said someone could use this information to stalk or harass you, either in person or online.That's why he suggested scrubbing details like your address, cell phone number, and email from the internet.To do that, open a private browsing window, like Google's incognito mode, to avoid getting results based on your personal searches, said Kapczynski. Type in your name, and see what pops up. From there, you can manually opt out of data sharing on these websites, which typically have a button to do so at the bottom of their home pages, he said. To streamline the process, he suggested using a <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/personal-information/how-to-delete-your-information-from-people-search-sites-a6926856917/">service that does this for you</a>, like OneRep where he works.Ideally, you would do this before joining any dating apps, said Kapczynski, but if you're already on these platforms, it can still help.<h2>Google your date and do a reverse-image search</h2>Once you're swiping, Kapczynski suggested screening matches with your own Google search to verify their identities.To do this, take one of their profile pictures and place it in a Google search. The search engine will <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-search-an-image-on-google-phone-computer-reverse">conduct a reverse-image search</a>, said Kapczynski, and find other details about your match.While doing this, cross-check that their location, employer, and other details match with their profile, Kapczynski said. He added that only matching with folks who have verified profiles, indicated with a blue check mark on most dating apps, can be an extra safety measure.Last, he said look out for certain behaviors, like intense persistence, or asking for money or to meet in a remote location.

Dating app scammers are rampant, the government warns. Here's how to avoid getting duped, according to an expert.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In "The <keyword id="13198677" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tinder-swindler" source="Orion">Tinder Swindler</keyword>," <keyword id="13198678" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pernilla-sjoholm" source="Orion">Pernilla Sjoholm</keyword> alleged Simon Leviev scammed her out of millions of dollars.</li><li>Sjoholm appeared on the "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKzeMtubMps">Tamron Hall</a>" show to respond to recent news that Leviev joined Cameo.</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-tinder-swindler">"The Tinder Swindler"</a> accuser Pernilla Sjoholm says that it's "heartbreaking" that a company wants to "collaborate with a criminal" after learning that Simon Leviev has a Cameo account where people can pay up to $1,400 for a personalized video message from him.<keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword> documentary "The Tinder Swindler" follows Cecilie Fjellhøy, Sjoholm, and a third woman named Ayleen Koeleman as they set out to track down <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">Shimon Hayut</a> (who went by the alias Simon Leviev). The women had met the dating-app user online, and they claim he tricked them out of millions of dollars. On Thursday, Felicity Morris (the director of Netflix's documentary "The Tinder Swindler") and accusers Fjellhøy and Sjoholm joined the <a href="https://tamronhallshow.com/">"Tamron Hall"</a> show in a virtual appearance. Among the topics they discussed was the latest news that Simon Leviev joined the personalized video app Cameo.<a href="https://www.etonline.com/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-joins-cameo-signs-with-manager-inside-his-hollywood-plans-179407">According to Entertainment Tonight</a>, Leviev joined Cameo earlier this week. The platform is a place where fans can request personalized videos from select stars. As of publication of this article, Leviev is charging $200 for personalized video messages and $1,400 for business ones. "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," Sjoholm said on the <a href="https://tamronhallshow.com/">"Tamron Hall"</a> show. "I think he has crimes against him, allegations against him in the US, as well, but no. It's honestly heartbreaking."She continued: "I mean, 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 honestly, it's very heartbreaking."Cameo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">As previously reported by Insider</a>, Finnish investigative journalists, with help from women who said they were conned by Leviev, <a href="https://www.vg.no/spesial/2019/tindersvindleren/english/">found out his true identity in 2019</a>. Their quest was documented in the new film.As is outlined in the Netflix project, Leviev was arrested and convicted in Finland in 2015 on charges of defrauding several women, serving two years in prison. In December of 2019, he was also <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/tinder-swindler-released-from-prison-early-infuriating-fraud-victims/">sentenced to 15 months in prison in Israel</a> after twice fleeing the country to avoid charges of theft, forgery, and fraud in 2011 and again in 2017. Leviev served five of the 15 months before being released in May of 2020.At the end of "The Tinder Swindler," a title card says "it is estimated he has swindled $10 million from victims across the globe."On the "<keyword id="13198679" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tamron-hall" source="Orion">Tamron Hall</keyword>" show, Sjoholm also addressed the news that Leviev has hired a talent manager, a woman named Gina Rodriguez, to help him pursue <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-joins-cameo-signs-with-manager-inside-his-hollywood-plans-179407">"a career in the entertainment industry."</a> "As a woman, I don't know how you can go to bed at night," she said. "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. I mean, like, it's serious things."Rodriguez did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on behalf of herself or Leviev. Rodriguez, a talent manager with Gitoni Inc., spoke with ET about representing Leviev. "I was intrigued with the Netflix story," <a href="https://www.etonline.com/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-joins-cameo-signs-with-manager-inside-his-hollywood-plans-179407">Rodriguez told ET</a>. "I saw the world's greatest salesman. It left me with a lot of unanswered questions and was very biased. I believe there are two sides to every story and everyone should have the chance to tell their side of the story."According to ET, Leviev is looking into a potential podcast, hosting a dating show, and/or writing a book.As previously <a href="https://www.insider.com/women-say-tinder-swindler-put-them-in-debt-set-gofundme-2022-2">reported by Insider</a>, since the premiere of the Netflix documentary, the women who say the "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-tinder-swindler">Tinder Swindler</a>" tricked them out of millions of dollars have started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/75c8gg-help-the-victims-of-the-tinder-swindler">GoFundMe</a> for their debts."<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81254340">The Tinder Swindler</a>" is available now on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-netflix-tips-and-tricks">Netflix</a>.

'The Tinder Swindler' accuser is 'heartbroken' that Simon Leviev is on Cameo charging $200 for personalized video messages

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The stars of "Bad Vegan" and "The Tinder Swindler" feel they were misrepresented by Netflix. </li><li>Cecilie Fjellhøy said her Tinder fraudster was a "dangerous man" but wasn't presented that way. </li></ul> "'Bad Vegan: Fame: Fraud: Fugitives" and "The Tinder Swindler" were huge hits for Netflix in 2022. But for the women whose experiences at the hands of manipulative men were revealed to millions in the compelling scammer documentaries, the exposure has been a mixed blessing — a source of regret but also a cause for hope.Cecilie Fjellhøy was the victim of a high-profile romantic scam by Simon Leviev (whose real name is Shimon Hayut), <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-accused-spending-2-million-private-jets-leviev-family-2022-3">the so-called Tinder Swindler. </a><a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-accused-spending-2-million-private-jets-leviev-family-2022-3">Leviev is</a> a "dangerous man," whom she fell in love with and lost all her money to after months of financial and emotional abuse, Fjellhøy said.Once she realized what was happening — <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-swindler-fake-billionaire-scammed-women-dates-into-debt-documentary-2022-2">that her lover was behind a Ponzi scheme designed to scam women out of tens of thousands of dollars</a> — she went to the police, who just laughed at her, she told Insider. She turned to the media in her home country of Norway, and her story went viral. Raw Films, an award-winning production company in London, picked it up and turned it into the hit docuseries "The Tinder Swindler," distributed by Netflix.<h2>'It's just another telling of how stupidly in love we were'</h2>Fjellhøy wanted a factual documentary, she told Insider. "I wanted to know why it is so difficult to catch this guy. To know why the police aren't doing enough, why it was so simple for him to commit this fraud? Those were the big questions I wanted the film to answer.""So when we were told it was not going to be that, I was really disappointed. It's just another telling of how stupidly in love we were," she said. "Even calling it the 'Tinder Swindler,' it just was branded from the start," she said. "It just made it seem not as serious."Netflix focused on the ways the women fell for the fraud rather than the cruel crimes committed by Leviev, Fjellhøy said. <div type="image" title="A screenshot of a phone contact for Simon Leviev from the documentary." height="1090" width="1453" msid="93412639" hostid="261"></div>"A lot of people don't even understand that it's a documentary," Fjellhøy told Insider. "We have people come up to us as though we're actresses and asking if we're real. Sometimes documentaries can be too well-made. People aren't even looking at you as a real person."And this is hard when you're airing your most personal stories. You have to show how you went from being very much in love, you know, to have to talk about how you almost killed yourself."Fjellhøy said she cried the first time she saw it. "I just felt stupid because I was the one picked to be the symbol of love," she said. "I had to be honest about how many matches I had on Tinder, how long I'd been on there, and how I viewed love. I had to say that I slept with him on the first date. I had to say stuff that I didn't want to say. So you're being used."In describing the negative feedback she got after the show aired, she said that a man approached her in Los Angeles to tell her she was "so embarrassing," instead of the victim of a complex crime. When asked if Netflix portrayed the abuse correctly, Fjellhøy said, "No, that's why I wanted it to be more investigative and maybe have a psychologist. Someone to explain what the abuse actually was."<h2>Breaking bad vegan</h2>Another documentary star, <a href="mailto:dragonfly8q@gmail.com">Sarma Melngailis</a> of "Bad Vegan," also criticized Netflix for its portrayal of her.<div type="image" title="Sarma Melngailis, co-author during &quot;RAW FOOD/real world&quot; Book Launch Celebration at Pure Food and Wine in New York City, New York, United States." height="1987" width="2649" msid="93412641" hostid="261"></div>Melngailis put raw vegan food on the map. Her New York restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, opened in 2004 and helped plant-based eating move away from a minority niche to being favored by the rich and famous. Celebrities flocked to her restaurant to sample such dishes as mango and Thai basil salad, which a <a href="https://nymag.com/nymetro/food/reviews/restaurant/9670/">New York Magazine review</a> described as offering "as much exotic sunniness as one bowl can contain." Her business venture was a success, and Melngailis was feted. And then she met her abuser. Netflix documented the rise and public fall of Melngailis in "Bad Vegan," directed by Chris Smith of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fyre-festival-expectations-vs-reality-2017-4">"Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened"</a> fame.<a href="https://ny.eater.com/2015/1/13/7539521/pure-food-wine-is-dark-tonight-as-staff-walks-out-over-unpaid-wages">Melngailis' businesses collapsed in 2015 after her unpaid staff walked out,</a> and she was nowhere to be found. There was confusion and anger from her employees, friends, and associates — how did this woman crash everything she'd worked so hard to build?Behind closed doors, she was being sexually, mentally, and financially abused, Melngailis told Insider.Her partner, Anthony Strangis, was <a href="https://www.insider.com/bad-vegan-women-who-were-gaslighted-committing-unethical-acts-2022-4">manipulating her into eventually stealing $2 million from her investors and employees. </a>The pair went missing and were found ordering pizza in a hotel room in Tennessee in 2016. In 2017, Melngailis took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud, grand larceny, and premeditated fraud, and served four months at Rikers Island in the summer of 2017.She spent four months in prison, and Strangis spent nearly a year behind bars. <h2>Melngailis felt Netflix was mocking her</h2><div type="image" title="Sarma Melngailis and her dog Leon" height="2674" width="3565" msid="93412642" hostid="261"></div>Netflix "made a joke" of the trauma she endured at the hands of Strangis, Melngailis said. "Bad Vegan" included many inaccuracies, she claimed, and did a "great disservice to all the people that have been through something like this."The most mind-blowing part of Melngailis' abuse may be the immortal-dog storyline: Strangis was able to convince the successful restaurant entrepreneur that her beloved Staffy, Leon, could become immortal. For people who haven't experienced abusive control, this might sound inconceivable, but the docudrama establishes that it was part of the way Strangis managed to control Melgnalis and convince her that he had superhuman powers that she, too, could access if she just did what he said.One day, as Melngailis was scrolling through Twitter, she came across a post from a spoof account called Perpetual Pup, run by Netflix. "You wanted to make your dog immortal. You're not alone," read the tweet, which had a video attached called "Not All Dogs Have to Go to Heaven." Confused, Melngailis watched the video of dogs chasing Frisbees, while a narrator said you can "say goodbye to saying goodbye.""Side effects may include confusion, sudden changes in behavior, and/or loss of money. Excessive wire transfers may occur. If you have a history of questionable romantic relationships, Perpetual may be right for you," the ad riffed, before cutting to a picture of Melgnailis' face, revealing itself as an ad for "Bad Vegan.""I would genuinely be curious, just as a study of human nature, to ask all those people to explain what they were thinking," said Melngailis. "Because you know what, would they have made a promo like that for a documentary about Harvey Weinstein?"I've been physically, emotionally, and sexually abused — and they made a mockery of the whole thing. They were basically mocking psychological abuse." <div type="image" title="Sarma Melngailis' dog Leon" height="1882" width="2510" msid="93412643" hostid="261"></div>Melngailis said that even she doesn't fully understand how Strangis did what he did. "It's not so much that he had me fully convinced of these things, it's more that he was able to get my consciousness to grab on to these concepts as possibilities, and the more I imagined them, the more detached from reality I got.""What I do know," she continued, "is that this kind of manipulation — abuse, really — is so much more common than we think, and so for Netflix to have made that campaign was a kick in the face to a lot of people who have endured such abuse. It was reinforcing the idea that he couldn't be legitimate, that we are the crazy ones."Netflix has not responded to Insider's request for comment. Previously asked by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/mar/22/bad-vegan-netflix-tv-show-inside-bizarre-world">The Guardian</a> if the show was fair to Melngailis, director Chris Smith said "Look, everything is shades of grey.""We tried to represent it as accurately as we could from the information we had through the documentation that was presented to us and through the interview."<h2>The profits go to Netflix </h2>Romantic scams, and scammer documentaries in general, have proven incredibly lucrative for Netlflix. "Bad Vegan" and "The Tinder Swindler" were both in the top-10 most-viewed shows the week they aired, <a href="https://top10.netflix.com/tv?week=2022-04-03">according to Netflix data.</a>But the stars said that having their story platformed doesn't fix their financial losses. The payment for the rights to their stories didn't cover their debts, they said. Melngailis said that it wasn't worth it for all the backlash and abuse she faced after the documentary aired — which she blames on the show's framing. "They made my life more difficult and put me through more shit," she said.Fjellhøy told Insider that after being a part of a popular and influential Netflix documentary, "everyone is thinking that we're millionaires now," she said. <div type="image" title="Cecilie Fjellhøy talks about falling in love with a man on Tinder who turned out to be a seasoned con artist." height="599" width="800" msid="93412645" hostid="261"></div>"The people at the bottom that get the least give it all. I don't see anything of this success. We're still struggling with debt, and we're in courts and everything. But it was amazing for Netflix," Fjellhøy said.Netflix did not reply to Insider's requests for comment on Fjellhøy and Melngailis' complaints.In response to Melngailis' criticism of "Bad Vegan," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/mar/22/bad-vegan-netflix-tv-show-inside-bizarre-world">director Chris Smith told The Guardian</a>: "Look, everything is shades of gray. We tried to represent it as accurately as we could from the information we had through the documentation that was presented to us and through the interview."<h2>From scam victims to heroines</h2>In terms of impact on the lives of scam victims everywhere, Melngailis, Fjellhøy, and Ayleen Charlotte, another one of Simon Leviev's victims, told Insider they were grateful for the opportunity to help people. Despite the hardships that have come from both the scam itself and the aftermath of the documentary, Fjellhøy said it was "worth it" for the love she has also received. "I've gotten so many messages saying I'm inspiring and I'm brave, and they really admire the courage that's taken, which has made it much more worth it," she said, adding that people tell her she'd helped them overcome their embarrassment over being the victim of a scam. Charlotte — the "bad bitch" victim of "The Tinder Swindler," as she put it — had a positive experience with the documentary, she told Insider. "I wanted to put his face out there because nothing had been done with my case. Second, I want to help people. And that's what I did. I mean, I got so many amazing messages from all over the world, and that I gave a lot of people a lot of courage for doing what I did, as well," Charlotte told Insider.Melngailis, while remaining critical of Netflix, agreed that "one of the things that I've heard over and over again — it is usually women but occasionally men — but people who have been manipulated in some kind of similar way feel less alone.""I've also heard from loads of people telling me that watching it has inspired them to try going or shifting towards vegan. So that's nice, at least! A few animals saved, perhaps," she said, ending our email communication with a winking emoji.

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Dating app scammers are rampant, the government warns. Here's how to avoid getting duped, according to an expert.

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