Shimon Hayut, also known as Simon Leviev, the site of Netflix The Tinder crookis facing a lawsuit from the real Levite family, of which he pretended to be a part.
In court documents received from peopleIsraeli Russian diamond tycoon Lev Leviev and his family have filed a lawsuit against Hayut for allegedly representing them and “receiving numerous benefits (including material)” for using the surname.
The lawsuit in Tel Aviv alleges that Hayut “cunningly used false words, claiming to be a member of the Levi family and that his family would pay and bear the costs of his benefits.”
Judicial documents allege that Hayut “cheated, deceived, deceived, falsified and hurt women, men and businesses” around the world.
“Defendant used the Tinder dating app to find women he then emotionally manipulated, cunningly defrauded, and was eventually persuaded to transfer large sums of money to him under the guise of running away from people who intended to hurt him.” the lawsuit reads.
Guy Ofir, the lawyer for the Leviev family, said this was “just the beginning” of their lawsuit against Hayut, with more lawsuits pending.
In a statement to Metro.co.uk, a representative of Hayut denied that he had committed any wrongdoing. “Simon believes the family is just trying to get into the publicity story after the show’s success.
“Simon also legally changed his name in 2015 and looks forward to being dropped in court.”
Hayut is believed to have stolen $ 10 million (£ 7.4 million) from a number of victims under the pseudonym Simon Leviev after gaining their trust with the promise of expensive dates.
Following the Netflix series, Hayut was banned by Tinder, Hinge and other dating apps. He recently joined Cameo, where he charged $ 300 (£ 148) for personalized video messaging.
Hayut had previously served five months in a 15-month sentence in Israel after traveling with a fake passport in 2019, where he was released on good behavior. He also served two years in prison in Finland in 2015 after being accused of cheating on three women, according to The times of Israel.
Three of Hayut’s alleged victims – Cecily Fielhoi, Eileen Coeleman and Pernilla Schoholm – have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to clear their debts after the documentary was released.