Alleged 'Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev Is Sued By Diamond Company Whose Name He Took

Simon Leviev, the subject of Netflix’s new documentary The Tinder Swindler, is being sued.

According to a new report from People, Israeli Russian diamond tycoon Lev Leviev and his family filed suit against Shimon Hayut, aka Simon Leviev, allegedly impersonating them and using their last name for his own benefit.

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Filed in Tel Aviv, Israel, the lawsuit alleges that “for a long time, he [Simon Leviev] has been making false representations as being the son of Lev Leviev and receiving numerous benefits (including material ones).”

The family claims that Simon has been “cunningly using false words, claiming to be a member of the Leviev Family, and that his family will pay and bear the costs of his benefits.”

The Netflix doc alleges that Simon changed his name on the Tinder app and would tell people he matched with that he was the son of a diamond mogul. He would then charm women with expensive dates and allegedly coerce them into loaning him money, leading him to swindle an estimated $10 million from people around the world.

He was convicted of fraud, theft and forgery in 2019 and sentenced to 15 months, but was released early five months later.

The filing claims that Simon “defrauded, cheated, conned, falsified, and hurt women, men and businesses” across the globe.

“The defendant used the dating application ‘Tinder’ to locate women who he then emotionally manipulated, cunningly bamboozled of funds, and eventually convinced to transfer large sums of money to him under the guise of being on the run from individuals intending on hurting him,” the lawsuit states.

Attorney Guy Ophir, who represents the Leviev family, said that more legal action may be forthcoming.

“This legal action is only the beginning of a number of lawsuits that my firm is currently working on,” he said. “In the next faze we will file a monetary suit against Hayut and any other affiliate that will work with him, including some websites that have Joint ventures with Hayut and/or have offered to buy cameos from him. Anyone that will try to capitalize from this scheme will be sued.”

Simon has not responded to the lawsuit, and it’s unclear whether he has retained attorney to defend him in this civil suit.

In a statement, Chagit Leviev, the daughter of Lev Leviev and an heiress to the family’s fortune, told People that Simon is a “fraud who stole our family’s identity and has tried to exploit our good name to con victims out of millions of dollars.

“He has no relation to the Leviev family and has no affiliation with our company LLD Diamonds,” she said. “I am relieved that his real identity and actions have been globally exposed, and hopefully this will bring an end to his unscrupulous actions. The lawsuit we filed today is just the first step out of many we will be taking to have him face justice and get the sentence he deserves.”

It was reported last month that Simon had signed with a talent manager in hopes of expanding his career in entertainment.