'Tinder Swindler' says he might like to be Israeli foreign minister

'Tinder Swindler' says he might like to be Israeli foreign minister
'I love the state of Israel. Maybe the position of foreign minister would suit me. Why not?' Shimon Hayut, 31, asked. 'I speak excellent English.'
2 min read
17 February, 2022
Shimon Hayut (left) said he might like to be Israeli foreign minister [TORE KRISTIANSEN/AFP via Getty Images-archive]

The man dubbed the "Tinder Swindler" over accusations he conned multiple women on the dating site for a large amount of money has said he might like to become Israeli foreign minister.

The subject of a hit documentary film on streaming platform Netflix, Shimon Hayut recently spoke with Israel broadcaster Channel 13.

"Money is no longer an issue, thank God. I want to get into politics", Haaretz reported the 31-year-old as saying in the interview.

"I love the state of Israel. Maybe the position of foreign minister would suit me. Why not?" Hayut asked. "I speak excellent English."

The Tinder Swindler tells the story of how Hayut, the son of Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines' head rabbi, is said to have wooed multiple women he met on dating platform Tinder out of tens of thousands of dollars each.

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He allegedly used the name "Simon Leviev" to pose as Russian-Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev's child, and treated women in Europe to fancy dates and professed his love for them.

It is asserted he would claim he was concerned about his "enemies" and send women an image of his bloodied security guard.

He would allegedly argue it was unsafe to spend money on his own credit card and ask the women to take out substantial loans which he used to sustain his high-flying lifestyle.

After Norway's VG newspaper reported on the matter, Hayut was detained in Greece and sent back to Israel.

Israeli authorities had wanted Hayut over unrelated fraud allegations from years prior, according to Haaretz and the JTA.

He was handed a 15-month jail term, of which he served five months. He was released soon after the coronavirus outbreak began.

The documentary has racked up millions of views on Netflix, and Hayut has been banned from multiple dating sites since it aired.

However, Hayut expressed optimism for the future, saying "from here on it's only up".

The Israeli citizen told Channel 13 he may even run for prime minister one day.

"To start at one point and then advance further is possible," Hayut said.

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