'Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev Plans 'Safe Love' App To Stop Dating Scams After Admitting 'I Know How To Lie'

Simon Leviev, the convicted fraudster known as the 'Tinder Swindler,' is planning to launch a dating app called 'Safe Love,' arguing that his experience with deception gives him insight into how romance scams work. Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Hayut, made the announcement during an appearance on ITV's This Morning. When asked why anyone should trust him with a dating app, he acknowledged the contradiction, saying he knows 'how to lie', 'how to cheat' and 'how to manipulate'.

The proposed app is intended to make online dating safer, but it has already faced opposition from the dating industry. The Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) has urged Apple and Google to block any platform founded, operated or fronted by Leviev.

'Safe Love' Dating App

Leviev said 'Safe Love' would be designed to address weaknesses in dating platforms and argued that his past gives him an unusual understanding of how scammers operate. 'The media and the people said that I made a dating world unsafe,' he said. 'So, I am about to launch a dating app that going to call "Safe Love". So, literally to make it that safe.'

He compared his approach to asking a burglar how a house was broken into, arguing that his experience could help identify weaknesses other dating apps fail to address. Leviev acknowledged that his history means he cannot expect users to give him the benefit of the doubt. He said the app would need to be regulated and approved, adding that he would have to 'prove' himself by creating something effective. The app is not currently live.

Leviev's Past and Industry Pushback

When asked whether his experience meant he knew how to get around existing dating apps, Leviev did not shy away from the question. 'I lived 10 years on a false passport. So, yeah, I do know how to lie. I do know how to cheat. I do know how to manipulate,' he said.

He also said he had falsified a cheque and lived for years under a false identity. Leviev acknowledged that he had been convicted and said he was 'not proud' of his past, but argued it had given him skills that could be used to protect others.

The ODDA has urged Apple and Google to block Safe Love from their app stores and consider the potential harm of hosting a dating app founded, operated or fronted by Leviev. ODDA chief Simon Newman told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that having Leviev involved in the dating industry would 'seriously undermine' efforts to tackle fraud.

Why Simon Leviev Is Known as the 'Tinder Swindler'

Leviev became widely known as the 'Tinder Swindler' after Netflix's 2022 documentary The Tinder Swindler featured women who said they met him through Tinder while he presented himself as the wealthy son of diamond magnate Lev Leviev. They alleged that he later asked them for financial help after claiming he was in danger. He was accused of defrauding women of an estimated $10 million (£7.5 million).

Cecilie Fjellhøy, one of the women featured in the documentary, said she gave Leviev more than $270,000 (£204,000) during their relationship. The documentary detailed the women's accounts of alleged deception and financial losses, which Leviev has disputed.

Separately, Leviev was convicted in Israel in 2019 of theft, fraud, and forgery of documents. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and served five months. Tinder has also permanently banned Hayut and his known aliases from the platform.