Former Tinder Swindler to Launch New Dating App Promising Safety
Shimon Hayut, who gained notoriety as the “Tinder Swindler,” is set to launch a dating app named Safe Love, aiming to address issues like deception, scams, and false identities that often plague online dating.
He claims to understand how these scams take place, perhaps better than anyone—because he once perpetrated them.
At 36, Hayut became infamous for his romance fraud schemes, extorting money from women he met online. His past includes convictions for fraud, theft, and forgery in both Israel and Finland, as he confirmed in a video interview.
Between 2015 and 2019, he served time in prison, including a sentence in Finland for defrauding multiple women. He has faced legal troubles multiple times, including arrests in Israel and extradition from Greece.
Hayut plans to use his experience in fraud to minimize risks for users on his platform. He likens himself to Frank Abagnale Jr., the notorious con artist turned fraud prevention expert depicted in the film “Catch Me If You Can.” Abagnale, after all, turned his life around after years of criminal activity.
“The idea came from me being the Tinder Swindler,” Hayut explained with an accent. “They say I made the dating environment unsafe. So I thought, ‘Let’s make it safe.’” He now balances his time between Israel and the UAE, and he feels uniquely qualified to help others avoid falling victim to fraud, given his background.
Admitting to using fake identities in the past, he maintains he has repaid his “debts to society” and asserts he’s not proud of those actions. He believes his familiarity with fraudulent practices gives him insight into how to create a safer dating environment, saying he might even recognize a fake passport better than authorities.
New Safety Features in the App
Safe Love will implement stringent identity verification methods. Users will need to upload a government ID and a selfie to confirm their identity, with a strict 15% appearance match. This aims to ensure that online profiles accurately reflect who shows up for a date.
In a move to enhance safety, there will also be an SOS feature, allowing users to alert authorities if they feel threatened during a date. The app will record video and audio and share the user’s location automatically.
As he approaches the app’s launch, Hayut is optimistic about its regulation phase, emphasizing he wants to release it as soon as possible.
Opposition to the App’s Launch
The Online Dating and Discovery Association has voiced concern over Hayut’s plan, urging platforms like Google and Apple to reject his app. They argue that his presence on a dating service could undermine public trust, stating, “We do not believe either app store wishes to be the platform that hosted a fraudster’s return.”
Despite this opposition, Hayut seems unfazed, suggesting they feel threatened by the quality of his product. He asserts that he’s determined to create an app that operates flawlessly.
“I have notoriety. It means that I cannot make mistakes,” he noted, acknowledging that there are those who view his criminal past as a danger to future users.
While he maintains that people can change, he clearly feels the weight of his past. Now, as a father to an 11-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, he believes that his life experiences have shaped him into someone capable of making safer dating experiences for others.
