A model who claims to have been repeatedly banned from dating apps is now fuming after discovering the Tinder Swindler was allowed to keep his account – despite using it to con money out of dates.
Alaw Haff, 24, from Mold, Wales, rakes in £44,000 a year sharing racy pictures on OnlyFans but her looks don’t help when it comes to dating.
The law graduate claims she has been blocked from three dating apps so far – Tinder, Bumble Hinge – and believes it’s because she is “too hot” so people report her account as being fake.
After the release of The Tinder Swindler documentary on Netflix, detailing the story of Shimon Hayut, a man accused of using the dating app to con people out of an estimated £7.4 million, Alaw was left outraged.
Hayut allegedly matched with women on Tinder under the alias Simon Leviev and told them he was the son of Israeli diamond tycoon Lev Leviev.
Tinder confirmed they had closed his account on Friday (4 February) – but it was reported Hayut was still active on the app when the documentary was released earlier last week.
“The dating apps are treating me worse than the Tinder Swindler,” Alaw, who has 67,000 Instagram followers (@alawpx), told Jam Press.
“I think it’s all a joke after watching the show on Netflix and he was still able to be on the app when his purpose was to use it for criminal activity – whereas all I wanted was to go for a drink with someone!
“I know he is banned now but that is probably only as a result of the uproar following the documentary.
“I emailed Tinder again after watching The Tinder Swindler kicking off that he was still on the app and I was banned.”
Alaw claims she was first banned from Tinder in September 2020 and again in December 2021 after getting her account back.
She was also allegedly booted from Hinge in March 2021 and claims to have been kicked off Bumble in 2020.
She said: “I had problems with a couple of my pictures so I’d just replace them with others.
“I would never post anything offensive but it’s hard to find a picture of myself wearing clothes when 90% of my pictures are in lingerie or swimwear due to my work.”
The model has pleaded with the apps to provide a reason for her accounts being blocked but claims she has not received a reply.
Alaw said: “It’s always the same old automated response. I know I wasn’t nasty to anyone on there, I didn’t do anything criminal on there, I was well-behaved so it’s got to be something like they think it’s a fake account or someone has too much time on their hands and keeps reporting me for some bizarre reason.
“I genuinely think it’s someone bitter that reports me or they somehow manage to associate me with OnlyFans and think I used the platforms for advertising purposes or sold subscriptions on there, when I genuinely never [would] – I actually want to date!”
Alaw says she has even offered to send proof of identification to the apps but claims her messages have been ignored.
Alaw added: “I wouldn’t mind if they replied like ‘look Alaw your behaviour was that appalling you aren’t allowed on the app anymore’, but I know I didn’t do anything to breach guidelines so that’s why I want an answer.
“They usually refer to the terms and conditions which state that they can remove you without explanation – which is the easy way out for them.”
With her dating app woes leaving her single for Valentine’s Day, Alaw plans to mark the holiday by treating herself to a Chinese takeaway instead of a romantic dinner for two.
She added: “I would like to date again, I haven’t for a while due to not being on Tinder.
“I think I am just having to find a way of getting dates without dating apps from now on.”
Jam Press has contacted Hinge, Bumble and Tinder for comment.
