Israeli fraudster Simon Leviev, made infamous by Netflix’s documentary The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia, officials confirmed on Monday.
Leviev, 34, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, was detained at Batumi airport on the Black Sea at Interpol’s request, interior ministry spokesman Tato Kuchava told AFP.
Between 2017 and 2019, Leviev allegedly used Tinder to pose as a billionaire heir, persuading women to lend him large sums of money that he never repaid. His deception, which featured fake bodyguards, private jets and luxury lifestyles, became one of the most high-profile cases of online “catfishing”.
Netflix’s 2022 documentary detailed accounts from several victims, with the platform estimating that he defrauded women in Norway, Finland and Sweden of about $10 million.
Leviev’s arrest marks the latest chapter in a saga that has sparked global debate over online romance scams and digital fraud.