Shimon Hayut: The Tinder Swindler’s New Venture into Safe Online Dating
Shimon Hayut, formerly known as Simon Leviev and infamously recognized as the “Tinder Swindler,” is launching a new dating application called Safe Love. This app is designed to address common risks associated with online dating, including deception and false identities.
A Troubling Past
The 36-year-old Hayut gained notoriety due to his fraudulent activities, where he exploited and extorted money from women he met through dating platforms. His array of scams led to convictions in both Israel and Finland from 2015 to 2019, including charges of fraud, theft, and forgery.
- 2015: Sentenced to two years in prison in Finland for defrauding three women.
- 2019: Convicted on four counts of fraud in Israel, receiving a 15-month sentence but released after five months.
His criminal history includes multiple arrests and an extradition from Greece to Israel, where he served additional time. Despite his troubled past, Hayut believes he can leverage his experiences to create a safer dating environment.
Introducing Safe Love
Hayut’s vision for Safe Love involves stringent verification processes to enhance user security:
- Users will need to submit a government-issued ID along with a selfie, ensuring that profile pictures closely match their actual appearance.
- Any image uploaded to a profile must not differ by more than 15% from the selfie.
Moreover, a unique feature of the app is the SOS button, aimed at providing immediate assistance during potentially unsafe situations. This function would enable users to record audio and video and share their location with law enforcement authorities.
The Motivation Behind Safe Love
“The idea came from me being the Tinder Swindler,” Hayut stated in a recent interview. “They say I made the dating environment unsafe. So I thought, ‘All right. Let’s make it safe.’” He expressed his determination to utilize his past experiences to implement safeguards within the app that he previously exploited.
Hayut has highlighted his belief that his prior criminal acts equip him with the necessary skills to identify and prevent fraud. “I know how fake passports look,” he claimed, adding, “I’ve passed hundreds, if not thousands of…fake passports.” He is confident that his knowledge can help mitigate similar risks for Safe Love users.
Industry Pushback
ODDA expressed their belief that allowing Hayut, as a convicted romance fraudster, to operate a dating platform undermines efforts to promote safe and trusting online interactions. Hayut, however, remains unfazed by this opposition. “They won’t be able to do that, and they won’t succeed,” he remarked, claiming that they feel threatened by his proposed app.
Looking to the Future
At present, Safe Love is in the later stages of regulatory approval, and Hayut hopes to launch the app shortly. “If something will go wrong, I cannot be saying, ‘Ah, we have a fault in our system.’ Automatically, I will be [considered] guilty as charged,” he explained. He is keenly aware of the high stakes given his background and the scrutiny he faces.
Hayut recognizes the skepticism surrounding his endeavor but asserts that people can change. Now a father of two, he notes, “Yes, on paper I’m a convicted criminal…but I’m not the same kid that I was [at] 19 years old.” He aims to prove that he can help others navigate the online dating landscape safely.
