One of the victims of the “Tinder Swindler,” who was reported on in the Netflix documentary, is speaking out about her experience.
Cecilie Fjellhoy met a man who called himself Simon Leviev on Tinder while looking for love after moving from Norway to London. Leviev portrayed himself as an Israeli-born billion-dollar heir. He introduced Fjellhoy to a life of luxury.
“He had confidence, but I could feel that he was such a bit of a normal funny guy as well,” she said during her first US TV interview.
Fjellhoy told CBS News foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab that things fell apart after the pair had been dating for about six weeks. Leviev’s real name is Shimon Hayut, and he has scammed multiple women out of at least $10 million.
Soon, Hayut claimed his life was in danger. He begged Fjellhoy to help him after he and his bodyguard were allegedly attacked.
“I truly believed that he was in danger,” Fjellhoy explained. “He needed my name to travel safely under.”
Although he initially didn’t ask for money, he began asking for more and more. Fjellhoy felt she was supporting Hayut.
Hayut’s scams caught up to him in 2019, when he was finally arrested. He was convicted on fraud charges but only spent five months in jail. CBS reports that since his release, Hayut’s social media shows he is back to living a lavish lifestyle.
Hayut was able to take Fjellhoy for more than $200,000. Thanks to interest, she is currently in debt for about $300,000.
Despite everything she’s gone through, she is still on Tinder looking for love.
“I am still on Tinder because I don’t blame Tinder on this,” Fjellhoy said. “I think Tinder was one avenue where he knew that he could manipulate and use his skills that way.”
