Simon Leviev, the infamous conman who shot to notoriety through Netflix’s hit documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia following an Interpol Red Notice.
Authorities confirmed that Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained on Sunday at Batumi International Airport.
“He was stopped upon arrival and taken into custody,” Georgia’s Interior Ministry spokesperson Tato Kuchava told international media, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Faux heir apparent
The 35-year-old Israeli became a global household name after the 2022 Netflix documentary detailed how he masqueraded as the wealthy heir to a diamond empire on Tinder, manipulating women into “lending” him vast sums of money to fund his jet-set lifestyle. His victims, spread across Europe, were conned out of an estimated $10 million between 2017 and 2019.
One of the most high-profile victims, Norwegian woman Cecilie Fjellhøy, revealed in the documentary that she lost over $270,000 to Leviev’s schemes. Fjellhøy later fronted her own series, Love Con Revenge, advocating for victims of online scams.
Criminal past
Leviev’s arrest in Georgia is the latest chapter in a long criminal history. In 2011, he fled Israel while facing charges of fraud and theft. He later served a prison sentence in Finland in 2015 for defrauding three women.
In 2019, after a joint investigation by Interpol and Norwegian journalists, he was arrested in Greece and extradited to Israel, where he served just five months of a 15-month sentence before being released early for good behavior.
Despite his criminal record, Leviev attempted to reinvent himself. He briefly profited from personalised video shoutouts on Cameo, charging up to £146 per clip, and recently announced plans to publish a book titled The Story Behind the Man.
It remains unclear what prompted the latest Interpol Red Notice. Such notices usually request the arrest of an individual pending possible extradition, but Georgian officials have not confirmed whether the case is linked to his earlier scams or new allegations.
Leviev’s lawyer, speaking to Israeli outlet Walla, said his client had been “traveling freely” before the arrest and insisted the move was unexpected.
Victim support groups have welcomed the development, with many hoping this signals real progress toward justice. “For years he has lived without accountability while his victims continue to struggle financially and emotionally,” one group told AFP.
Leviev is expected to remain in custody in Georgia while extradition discussions unfold.
