You Still Won’t Find The Tinder Swindler On Instagram

Following the release of Netflix’s true-crime documentary The Tinder Swindler, attention has been laser-focused on the swindler himself – Simon Hayut, otherwise known to his victims as Simon Leviev. Two days after the film aired, Hayut made his Instagram public to speak out about how he was portrayed, adding that he will be sharing his side of the story “in the next few days” once he’s “sorted out the best and most respectful way to tell it, both to the involved parties and myself.” However, shortly after sharing this statement, his account was deleted.

It’s not clear whether Hayut did this himself, or if Instagram decided to pull the plug on the account. However, he soon returned with a new account under the handle @simon__leviev__official, which has since been removed from the platform.

There’s no real way of telling whether or not this was actually Hayut, though, as many more “official” accounts have started to spring up on Instagram purporting to be him. The bios for each account claim that the deleted one was hacked, and they all share similar images of his still lavish lifestyle.

One handle in particular, @simon_hayut_official, seemed to have been set up to help the victims of Hayut’s crimes, per the bio. However, one post on the since-deleted account was written as though Hayut was behind the page where he explained the reason why the previous account was deleted.

Meanwhile, another since-deleted account with the handle @simon_leviev_official later appeared on the platform. In an Instagram story shared by the account on Feb. 14, a video appeared to show Hayut addressing his followers and the many fake accounts using his name.

“Happy Valentine’s Day everybody. I want to clarify a few things,” Hayut said in the clip. “I don’t have any social media accounts but this one. No Tinder, no Instagram, no Facebook, no TikTok. Nothing. Only this one. Anything else, it's fake,” he added.

A post shared on the same account claiming to be Hayut also teased that he will reveal his side of the story. “If you thought what you saw on Netflix was shocking? Wait and see what I reveal about this Netflix ‘documentary,” the caption read.

There’s also been speculation that the so-called Tinder Swindler is currently active on TikTok, despite his denials in the aforementioned Instagram story. An account with the username @simon_leviev_official — the same username featured on the Netflix documentary — appears to belong to Hayut. With flashy TikTok clips of the accused con man on private jets, driving fancy cars, and lounging in luxurious hotel rooms, the account is exactly what you’d expect.

At the time of publication, the account in question has attracted more than 161,000 followers and 380,000 likes. Although, there has been no confirmation as to whether the TikTok page actually belongs to Hayut. That said, many TikTok users certainly believe he’s the person behind the account, and the comment section of his TikTok clips, some of which have earned millions of views, is steeped in references to Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler.

“Anyone else here cause of the documentary,” asked one curious TikTok user, while another joked, “My enemies are after me. Can you lend me a fiver?”

It would seem that the ongoing fiasco that is Hayut’s social media presence is just as shady as the Netflix series portrays. As viewers will know all too well, the gripping documentary sees Hayut accused of conning dozens of women into funding his lavish lifestyle.

Contributions from Sophie McEvoy, Sam Ramsden and more.