Ex-Bachelor candidate Hannah Kerschbaumer tells in an interview with the starwhy she didn’t want a second meeting with the “Tinder swindler” and why she now always has her dates’ IDs shown to her.
It is a scam story that is now going around the world. Shimon Jehuda Hayut posed as Simon Leviev on Tinder. He told that he was related to the diamond mogul Lev Leviev and that he was very rich. First he invited the women, convinced them of his wealth, only to later pretend to them that he was being persecuted and urgently needed money. In the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, three women tell how they took out loans for him and gave him all their savings.
Johanna “Hannah” Kerschbaumer also met him. The 29-year-old became known for her participation in the format “The Bachelor” in 2021, where she took fifth place. Luckily she didn’t want a second date with the “Tinder swindler” and escaped his scam.
You met Simon Leviev through Tinder. What was your impression?
We met about five years ago at the Ritz Carlton in Berlin at Potsdamer Platz. Of course I was excited. He was smaller than I imagined. And he wore very extravagant things that actually didn’t go together. I believe it was burgundy pants and a blue and white striped shirt. And he had tinted glasses. I was there earlier and then saw him coming down the stairs with his bodyguard. I thought: he has wide hips. But other than that it looked pretty much the same as in the pictures. That’s not always the case with Tinder dates.
What were you talking about?
In retrospect, I noticed that he mostly talked about himself. He has spoken a lot about his alleged work at LLD Diamonds. He showed me an app he uses to book private flights. And the security camera in his apartment. Then he turned the light on and off again. He was pretty bragging and flamboyant when I come to think of it. Later he put his hand on my thigh and wanted to get closer and closer to me. But then I blocked it. That felt wrong. There was no second date.
What did you think when you saw the documentary?
I have to say I was shocked. I recognized him immediately. But I was also surprised that he approached it so professionally. He showed me the same shots from his apartment as everyone else, the same selfies from the plane. He seems to have done the same with all women.
Are you more skeptical about Tinder now?
I’ve always been careful. But now I pay even more attention to what people tell me. I only meet in public places. Before we meet someone privately, I ask them to show me their ID, take a picture of it and send it to my best friend. That’s how I make sure nothing happens to me. If I had done that to Simon, I would probably have noticed the other name on his passport anyway. But it didn’t get that far.
And what do you say to the allegations that you should have made up the meeting?
I first told about the date on my TikTok account and since then I’ve been getting hate mail and threats in my inbox. I find the accusation that I made this up outrageous. Especially since he’s completely useless. The meeting was real and I’m grateful that my instinct saved me from worse.
Source: Stern

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