The Tinder Swindler, aka Shimon Hayut, may be taking a new career path advising on dos and don’ts of dating
Durban - The Tinder Swindler, Shimon Hayut, aka Simon Leviev, is looking to cash in on his new found fame in the tinsel town of Hollywood.
This was reported on US entertainment site TMZ this week, after the huge global following of the current Netflix series The Tinder Swindler. It exposed how Hayut carried out “honey traps” akin to a Ponzi scheme, where he would extract money from one woman to spend it on the next while living a luxury lifestyle from his ill-gotten gains.
TMZ reported that “sources close to Hayut say he’s already signed with a talent manager and wants to write a book, star on a dating show, and host a dating podcast”.
The report says Hayut has signed with Hollywood manager Gina Rodriguez of Gitoni Inc, with the two having apparently already “discussed a bunch of plans to parlay his newfound Netflix fame into a profit and entertainment career”.
“Hayut’s idea for a potential show includes women competing for his love, and he’s interested in sharing dating dos and don’ts.”
Since the airing of the reality documentary, Hayut has repeatedly said he’s going to clear his name.
And while he’s been banned from all dating apps and he deleted his Instagram account, an account popped up on TikTok claiming to be him with jet setting pix on a super yacht and in a Bentley.
So was he about to become a Tik-Tok influencer? Not so say some, slamming the Tik Tok account as a fake, saying the photos were old because they included his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him after the reality series made him infamous.
Following the story on the Tinder Swindler in last week’s IOS, one of the victims from the documentary, Cecilie Fjellhoy, responded to our request for comment, saying that Hayut had “spent time in Cape Town. I got evidence he was at a hotel and went on a safari as well”.
There have been reports that Hayut has been spotted in Cape Town and Johannesburg in the past, posing as a filthy rich diamond dealer connected to real diamond mogul Lev Leviev of LLD DIamonds.
LLD Diamonds released a strongly worded statement, denying any connection to Hayut.
According to a report by international anti-virus company Kaspersky, as many as one in three people are dating online, with dishonesty and scams posing a “worrying trend”.
Findings included that about 57% of online daters have admitted to being dishonest, while 55% have experienced some sort of threat or problem while dating online.
Seugnette van Wyngaard, head of 1st For Women Insurance, said this week: “Online dating has revolutionised the world of dating. It’s a fun and easy way to meet people without even having to leave your house. That said, the reality is that one should be cautious when engaging and meeting with strangers.
“You should be aware of the dangers associated with online dating, be clued up on the warning signs and be extra vigilant so that you can protect yourself if the need arises,” she said.
Cybercrime experts have said the most common modus operandi of romance scammers was to first gain the target’s trust and then introduce a sense of urgency to ensure a payment of some form.
For the Tinder Swindler and his “fake it till you make it it” approach ‒ his Hollywood dream may well come true.
The Independent on Saturday
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