The Tinder Swindler has his eyes set on Hollywood.
Simon Leviev, born Shimon Hayut, has signed on with a talent manager.
Leviev made headlines after it was revealed that he allegedly conned women out of millions of dollars using the dating app, Tinder.
Simon Leviev has signed on with talent manager
Since the release of Netflix’s Tinder Swindler documentary, Leviev has attracted the attention of those working in the entertainment industry.
He has signed on with a talent manager, Gina Rodriguez of Gitoni Inc.
Rodriguez told Entertainment Tonight: “I was intrigued with the Netflix story. 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.”
Rodriguez told ET that Leviev is looking into a potential podcast, hosting a dating show, and/or writing a book.
Simon Leviev conned women using Tinder
Leviev falsely presented himself as the son of Israeli diamond mogul, Lev Leviev, to con women on Tinder.
He followed a calculated pattern. First, he would match with a woman on Tinder and take her on an impressive first date. He would continue their relationship while flying around the world and secretly dating other women.
Then, he would present a story about having certain enemies who were out to get him to build concern. Next, he would urgently message each “girlfriend” for help, saying that his credit card could not be used for security reasons. Finally, he would ask her to open a new credit card or loan under her name for him to use.
Instead of paying his victims back, he would stall and threaten them. Leviev allegedly stole $10 million.
The Times of Israel reports that Leviev was sentenced in Israel to 15 months in prison for fraud in 2019, but was only served five months.
He has since been banned from using Tinder and other dating apps.
A victim of Leviev speaks out
Cecilie Fjellhøy, who alleges she took out $250,000 worth of loans for Leviev, spoke with Entertainment Tonight.
She admits she still has some contact with Leviev, saying, “Everyone is asking me like, ‘Oh, what do you think he’s going to say?’ And I was like, ‘Well, this guy would lie until he dies. He will never admit it.’ That’s what’s going to be painful for us as victims. We can’t say that we’re going to heal when he’s going to admit to what he did, because he’s never going to admit to what he did.”
Fjellhøy added, “He has a very empty life. He has no family, no friends to really care about him. He needs help.”