Simon Leviev, aka the Tinder Swindler, has revealed that he gained his wealth through bitcoin.
Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Hayut, has given his first interview since The Tinder Swindler dropped on Netflix on 2 February.
In the documentary, Leviev is alleged to have swindled at least three women out of hundreds of thousands of dollars after becoming romantically involved with them.
But now, Leviev has claimed that he’s a “legit businessman” and his wealth was acquired through an early investment in bitcoin.
“I’m a legit businessman,” Leviev told Inside Edition when asked how he funds his lavish lifestyle, which includes luxury hotel stays and flights on private jets.
He added: “I bought bitcoin in 2011, which [was then worth] nothing, I don’t need to say how much it’s worth now.”
During the interview, Leviev pushed back on accusations that he is the Tinder Swindler and said he’s “not this ‘monster’ that everyone else has created”.
He said the women in the documentary — Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte — “weren’t conned” and “weren’t threatened”.
When asked whether he felt bad for the three women he said: “I feel bad for something I didn’t do? No. I feel bad for whatever happened to myself. I want to clear my name, I want to tell the world this isn’t true.”
Inside Edition also asked Leviev whether he was the son of “King of Diamonds” Lev Leviev. In the documentary, the victims claim that Leviev posed as the son of the diamond mogul.
Leviev said: “No I’m not and I never presented myself [to be].”
In a clip released to tease the new interview, Leviev said: “I was just a single guy, looking to meet some girls on Tinder… I am not a Tinder Swindler.”
The interview shows him with his model girlfriend Kate Konlin who claims the women in the documentary “built a fake story” around Leviev.
The women featured in the documentary, who were subject to online trolling following its release, say they are still in debt following their interactions with Leviev and have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay back some of these debts.
