The Tinder Swindler Star Says He's "Not A Monster"

The latest Netflix documentary that has fans talking is The Tinder Swindler. The doc features an alleged scammer named Simon Leviev, who used dating apps to prey on women for cash. Simon told his alleged victims that he was the son of an Israeli diamond tycoon. He also regularly took them out to expensive dinner and on rides on a private jet. Thus enhancing the appearance of extreme wealth.

But law enforcement says it was all an elaborate scam. For certain, we know that Simon is not heir to a diamond empire. Police allege that he lived large with an elaborate scheme that had women opening up credit cards and sending him money under the guise that he was in some kind of danger.

Now the man himself is speaking out and maintains he’s not the person we think he is. As reported by E! News, Simon recently spoke out in an interview with Inside Edition. In the video, he claims that he “was just a single guy that wanted to meet some girls on Tinder.” He also added, “I’m not this monster.”

The interview also features a look at Simon’s “new model girlfriend.” The teaser promises that the interview will reveal “why she is sticking with him.” The first part of the interview will be available on February 21st. The second will be the following day, February 22nd.

This is the first time that Simon is speaking out since The Tinder Swindler hit our screens. But he’s been busy behind the scenes. A source says that he signed on with talent manager Gina Rodriguez. Gina is known for representing well below D-list celebs who are embroiled in scandal. Some of her clients include Lindsay Lohan’s parents and [Mama] June Shannon from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

Apparently Gina has wasted no time trying to get Simon a gig. Her verified Instagram account reposted a story from TMZ. The report claimed that Simon is trying to “star in a dating show” and host “a dating podcast.”

RELATED: Netflix’s Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev Gets An Agent And Reportedly Wants His Own Dating Show

In May of 2020, Simon was released from an Israeli jail after 5 months of a 15 month sentence on unrelated fraud charges. And he has yet to be charged with any crimes related to what he is being accused of in the documentary.

But Simon does have to answer to the dating apps where he was finding his alleged victims. A Tinder spokesperson revealed that Simon and “any of his known aliases” were banned from using their services in 2019. They elaborated, “He is permanently banned from Tinder. In the lead up to the release of the documentary, we conducted additional internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is not active on Tinder under any of his known aliases.”

Despite the accounts from multiple woman, Simon maintains his innocence. In a voice memo that was part of the documentary, he said, “I will proceed with the lawsuit against you for discrimination and lies and, you know, everything is based basically on a lie… And that’s it, this is how it’s gonna be.”