‘Tinder Swindler’ arrested in ex-Soviet state – media

An Israeli national known as the ‘Tinder Swindler’ has been arrested upon arrival in Georgia, according to local media reports, citing the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The ministry confirmed the move was based on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol.

Simon Leviev gained international notoriety after the 2022 Netflix documentary ‘The Tinder Swindler’ revealed how he scammed several women he met on the dating app by posing as the son of Israeli billionaire and diamond magnate Lev Leviev, defrauding the women of an estimated $10 million

“I spoke with him this morning after the detention, but we still don’t know the cause,” his attorney Shagiv Rotenberg told the Walla news outlet on Monday, adding that Leviev had been traveling freely before the arrest.

Using the fake identity, he lured women by showcasing a lavish lifestyle on Tinder, filled with private jets and luxury yachts, convincing them that he was a wealthy heir. Once trust was established, he persuaded them to lend him large sums of money under false pretenses and never repaid them.

Prior to the Tinder scheme, Leviev had been imprisoned in Finland and Israel for a range of crimes, including forgery, theft, and leaving a five-year-old he was babysitting unattended.

In December 2024, a Tel Aviv court ordered him to pay 415,000 shekels ($124,000) to one of his victims, Kate Conlin. According to the lawsuit, Leviev threatened Conlin and forced her to take out loans in several banks in her name but failed to repay the money.

Among the new lawsuits filed against Leviev is a claim from Iren Tranov for 414,000 shekels ($123,500), as well as a lawsuit from the Leviev family for reputational damage.