Simon Leviev gained fame after the documentary The Tinder Swindler went viral on Netflix a few weeks ago. The media claims he made his fortune by taking advantage of women he met online, but in a recent interview, he claimed he got rich with a more straightforward method: investing in Bitcoin.
In an interview for Inside Edition, Simon Leviev – whose real name is Shimon Hayut – said that contrary to media portrayal, he was an entrepreneur who bought Bitcoin over 10 years ago and got rich simply by hodding the room.
Long Bitcoin
Simon Leviev had refused to talk about his life after the release of the documentary The Tinder Swindler. In the first interview, he was emphatic in saying that the women accusing him of being a swindler were misrepresenting the facts.
Leviev denied being the son of a famous diamond businessman and also denied showing up in his Tinder matches that way. Despite versions claiming that he made a fortune of around $10 million from his foul games, Leviev explained that it was all thanks to Bitcoin:
“I’m a legit businessman. you know, I bought bitcoin in 2011, which was [then worth] nothing, I don’t need to say how much it’s worth now.”
The bitcoin price was around $30 per token during its 2011 peak and $1 at its lowest point of the year. If Leviev is telling the truth, by now we would be talking about an investment with a disconcerting return between 118,233% and 3,549,900%. To earn the $10 million they claim to have cheated, he would have had to invest a maximum of $282 at the time.
Who is Simon Leviev, AKA The Tinder Swindler
According to the documentary The Tinder Swindler, Leviev used the dating app to meet girls and date those who filled a specific profile of being basically middle-aged, financially independent, and prone to being manipulated with his tactics.
During his meetings, he lured his partners with dates in luxurious places, displaying a supposed wealth which he justified by saying that he was the son of a diamond magnate.
After some time, he would contact his partners, making them believe that he was being persecuted and threatened; therefore, he could not use his credit cards to pay for his business and personal expenses. The partners would lend him the money he needed, and eventually, Leviev would disappear.
The directors of the documentary obtained the testimonies of three women defrauded with the same modus operandi.
Leviev denied everything and did not even present his version of events to Netflix. The girls have already raised $250K from the community, but now Leviev wants to clear his name.
“I’m not an impostor and I’m not an impostor… People don’t know me so they can’t judge me. I am the greatest gentleman in the world.
