31-year-old Israel resident Simon Leviev – known allegedly for his notorious fraud schemes as the “Tinder Swindler” – says he has made a lot of his money through crypto investing and legitimate business ventures rather than cheating people.
Leviev Explains His Side of the Story
In a recent interview, Leviev says he purchased bitcoin when the currency was very young. Obviously, the asset has shot up in price since then, and it is due to these price spikes that he has allegedly earned most of his wealth over the years. He commented:
I bought bitcoin in 2011, which [was then worth] nothing. I don’t need to say how much it’s worth now.
A Netflix documentary about his purported scams is heading to the streaming service for users to view. Leviev says he is a legit businessman and a “gentleman” and not a “monster,” as so many people describe him. However, the documentary – and many items in the news – tells a different story.
Leviev presented himself multiple times on Tinder as the heir to a diamond company. Several women reached out to him on the dating application, and he tantalized their fantasies by talking about yachts, private jets, and expensive hotels – all of which they could enjoy with him, provided they were willing to give him a date.
In many of these instances, Leviev is believed to have swindled these women out of funds, which he then used to indulge in a lavish lifestyle for himself. To obtain the money, he would often state that he was low on funds and required cash to keep himself out of danger considering he had several enemies. It is believed he may have stolen as much as $10 million from Tinder users.
However, he says that the accusations are false and that he ultimately ended up doing time for crimes he didn’t commit. He says:
I’m not a fraud and I’m not a fake. People don’t know me, so they cannot judge me. I’m the biggest gentleman in the world. [Should] I feel bad for something I didn’t do? No. I feel bad for what happened to myself. I was just a single guy that wanted to meet some girls on Tinder. I was surprised how many girls wanted me and how many girls offered to travel to meet me without them knowing me. I’m not this monster that everybody has created.
Will We Ever Know the Full Truth?
He commented in his interview that many of the women likely sought revenge on him in that they had likely gotten their hearts broken at some point during their relationships with him.
Leviev was arrested for his reported actions in 2019. He was convicted of several crimes – including forgery and theft – and sentenced to 15 months in prison. He served five months in jail before being released.
Source: https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/tinder-swindler-simon-leviev-says-he-earned-his-money-through-crypto-investments-not-scams/