The Tinder Swindler’s bodyguard Peter has revealed he intends to sue Netflix over their explosive documentary.
Last week, the streaming giant released their true crime documentary on fraudster Shimon Hayut, who conned millions from women he met on Tinder by posing as billionaire playboy Simon Leviev.
Shimon, who posed as the son of a Russian-Israeli diamond mogul, essentially ran a Ponzi scheme by wooing women he met on Tinder with lavish gifts and trips, which he paid for with money he’d stolen from previous women.
After dazzling each victim enough, ‘Simon’ would ask to borrow money from them because for security reasons he couldn’t use his own money, but promised to pay them back.
The conman would claim his “enemies” were after him and that he wasn’t safe, and even sent the women photos of his bodyguard Peter after an alleged attack.
Speaking to LADbible, Peter’s lawyer Joanna Parafianowicz claimed Netflix didn’t reach out to Peter ahead of The Tinder Swindler being made, and that he is therefore planning on suing the streaming giant.
She said: “No one has the right to deprive a person of basic rights, such as the right to image and the right to the protection of personal data. The movie doesn’t tell my client’s story, and it must be underlined – no charges have been ever brought against him regarding this case.”
“He’s never been involved in Simon’s businesses. However, by many viewers he’s being associated with Simon Leviev’s behaviour. Netflix’s production neither have asked my client for permission to publish his image nor for his comment on the case.”
Joanna added that the globally trending documentary has already had an impact on Peter’s privacy.
She said: “As a result of the unexpected movie publication and its immediate popularity, my client lost anonymity within just one day, the ability to work as a bodyguard, probably forever, as well as his reputation.”
“Peter is in a bad mental state now. We both believe that even such a giant like Netflix cannot violate basic human rights.”
The Tinder Swindler documentary featured three of Shimon’s victims – Cecilie Fjellhoy, Ayleen Charlotte and Pernilla Sjoholm.
The women shared their extraordinary and often terrifying experiences with Shimon, and revealed how they eventually teamed up to get him arrested for his crimes, only for him to be released five months later.
To this day, all three women are still paying off the debts they racked up to loan money to ‘Simon’ – who they believed would pay them back.
The Tinder Swindler is on Netflix now.
