Why Is Simon Leviev’s Bodyguard Suing Netflix? Behind the Scenes of the Tinder Swindler

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Since the 2^nd of February, the life of one particular ‘billionaire’ has turned upside down. Just when Shimon Hayut thought that he had got his way after swindling millions of dollars, his victims/ girlfriends, turned the tables by exposing the con man in the most brutal yet iconic manner.

The Tinder Swindler has been trending in many countries around the world since its release on 2^nd February, 2022. It is a true crime documentary about the story of Simon Leviev, a con man, who posed as the heir to LLD Diamonds. His real name however is Shimon Hayut who is an Israeli citizen.

Flaunting his lavish lifestyle on Tinder, he told his victims that the diamond business was dangerous and always pretended to be on a run from his ‘enemies’. In times of trouble, he would promise his then girlfriend/ girlfriends that he is in love with them and ask them to loan him money.

To prove that he was in a dangerous situation, he would send his girlfriends a picture of his ‘bodyguard’ bleeding, claiming that they were attacked. The three women in the Netflix film, The Tinder Swindler, Cecilie, Pernilla and Ayleen are of the opinion that everyone who worked in close relation to him was aware about his identity but his ‘bodyguard’, Peter, denies any involvement.

Why Is Peter, Simon Leviev’s Bodyguard Suing Netflix?

Peter, Simon Leviev’s alleged bodyguard was always at his elbow and often spotted in his social media stories where the two were seen partying. Shimon Hayut used the same picture of an injured Peter each time to con his victims into believing that they were attacked and further loan him money.

The victims are convinced that Peter was aware of Shimon Hayut’s identity. How else would the con-man be able to pay Peter if he was not an accomplice or aware of the crime? Peter was never convicted of any crime and he denies all allegations portrayed in the Netflix film.

Peter’s lawyer, Joanna Parafianowicz, has accused Netflix of violating his Human Rights and causing him major distress. She adds that Peter was never involved in any of the Simon Leviev’s business but is now being falsely associated with the con man.

There are no charges against Peter which is where he has the upper hand. Besides, the documentary is not about Peter’s story and Netflix did not reach out to him before filming or releasing the content. Peter has stayed away from social media since this film allegedly jeopardizes his reputation for future jobs.

The Tinder Swindler Real Story

While the entire world is now aware about the new age Frank Abagnale, the real story of the Tinder Swindler is what lies behind the scenes. The documentary left the curious viewers with several questions: Where is Simon Leviev now? What happened to Simon Leviev’s victims after the release of the film? Is Simon Leviev arrested now?

Since this is an on-going case, there are new updates every day. When the film was released, Shimon Hayut aka Simon Leviev had a few troubled days where his Instagram account altered from being private to public. On the 4^th of February, he even uploaded a video on his Instagram account in a luxury car enjoying music and the company of his friends, like nothing had changed.

To know the real story and behind the scenes of the Tinder Swindler, Netflix has released a 3 episode podcast called You Can’t Make This Up revealing more details about Shimon Hayut. It not only covers the other victims of his crime, but also the psychology behind his profession and his family life.

There Are More Than Three Victims Of the Tinder Swindler?

While the three courageous women called out Simon Leviev, there were a few other victims who were rightly afraid of the consequences of being a part of one of the most iconic films. To protect her privacy, one of his other victims mentioned that Leviev criticized her dressing sense and said that she had to “look the part” in order to be his girlfriend.

Courtney, another one of his victims revealed that she quit her job to work with the “heir of an airline company” only to be arrested a few years later for credit card frauds along with Simon Leviev. This was over a decade ago and although she was acquitted of her crime, she was made aware of ‘Simon Leviev’ only recently via the internet.

Simon Leviev’s Business Partners

While the role of Peter in Simon Leviev’s life remains uncertain, one of his other ‘business partners’ named Avishay had an active role in the frauds committed. Ayleen, who’s gutsy work had Leviev arrested, mentioned that Avishay would often text her to send money. In fact they even dated for a brief period of time in 2017.

During the research for this film, the filmmakers even found a few childhood pictures of Shimon Hayut and Avishay together. This further questions their relationship and proves that Avishay was aware about Shimon Hayut’s identity.

What Was Simon Leviev’s First Crime?

While trying to understand the psychology of Shimon Hayut’s actions, the filmmakers found out the first crime committed by him which led him to flee his home country, Israel. When he was 20 years old, he stole cheques from a family that employed him as a babysitter. Besides, there are also reports of him stealing cheques when he was working as a handyman in one of his other jobs.

There is more to Simon Leviev than just being a con artist. There is more to Shimon Hayut than just being a mere thief in his 20’s. There is more to the Tinder Swindler than just a boyfriend who swindles millions of dollars from his ‘girlfriends’. Only time will tell us the true story of Shimon Hayut.

Written by Jerusha Patel