ELPS

In today's socio-economic landscape, scammers and their deceptive schemes remain an ever-present challenge. This persistence is reflected in the rich variety of English vocabulary dedicated to describing these individuals and their fraudulent activities. This entry both explores some of the most common nouns and verbs used to characterize scammers and their methods, and explains what each of them means.

Common nouns and phrases

• Scammer - someone who commits scams or fraud, often online or through phone calls.

• Grifter - a person who engages in petty or small-scale swindling.

• Con artist - someone who deceives people by gaining their trust to steal from them.

• Swindler - a person who cheats others out of money or possessions.

• Fraudster - a person who commits fraud, typically for personal gain.

• Charlatan - a fraud, especially in claiming to have knowledge or skill.

• Hustler - a person who deceives or cheats others, often using charm or wit.

• Snake oil salesman - a person who sells fraudulent goods, typically fake or exaggerated remedies.

• Shyster - a lawyer or individual who uses unethical practices to deceive others.

• Bilker - someone who cheats or swindles, especially by evading payment.

• Phisher - someone who attempts to steal personal information online by posing as a trustworthy entity.

• Counterfeiter - a person who produces fake goods, documents, or currency.

• Ponzi schemer - a person who runs a type of investment scam where returns are paid from new investors rather than profits.

• Quack - a fake doctor or someone who falsely claims to have medical knowledge.

• Racketeer - a person involved in organized criminal schemes, often related to fraud or extortion.

• Imposter - someone who pretends to be someone else to deceive others.

• Shill - a person who promotes a scam by pretending to be a satisfied customer.

• Chiseler - someone who cheats or takes small, underhanded advantage of others.

• Faker - a person who pretends to be something they are not to deceive others.

• Rip-off artist - someone who cheats people, especially by charging them too much for something.

• Bunco artist - a con artist, especially one involved in small-scale fraud.

• Hoaxer - someone who perpetrates a hoax, a deliberate deception meant to trick others.

Common verbs and phrases

• Dupe - To trick or deceive someone into believing something false.

• Defraud - To illegally obtain money from someone by deception.

• Mislead - To cause someone to have a wrong idea or impression.

• Bamboozle - To fool or cheat someone through trickery.

• Fleece - To cheat or swindle someone, often out of money.

• Coerce - To pressure or intimidate someone into doing something through manipulation.

• Embezzle - To steal or misappropriate funds placed in one's trust or belonging to an organization.

• Forge - To create a false document or signature to deceive others.

• Scam - To cheat someone by creating a deceptive plan or scheme.

• Con - To persuade someone to do or give something through deception.

• Hoodwink - To deceive or trick someone, usually by covering up the truth.

• Swindle - To use deception to deprive someone of money or possessions.

• Exaggerate - To overstate or inflate the truth to mislead or manipulate someone.

• Prey on - To exploit or take advantage of someone's weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

• Manipulate - To control or influence someone in a devious way, usually for personal gain.

• Lie - To tell untruths in order to deceive someone.

• Pose - To pretend to be someone else, typically to deceive.

• Feign - To fake or pretend something (e.g., illness) to deceive others.

• Misrepresent - To give a false or misleading account of something.

• Obfuscate - To deliberately make something unclear or confusing to hide the truth.

Extra vocabulary

• Fraud - a broad term for any form of deception used for financial gain.

• Shtick - a gimmick or routine used to gain attention or deceive, often in a playful or misleading manner.

• Racketeering - the act of running an illegal business or scheme to make money.

• Mark - the intended victim of a scam or con.

• Shell game - a scam involving sleight of hand to cheat the victim, also used metaphorically.

• Sucker - a gullible person who is easily deceived.

• Dupe - someone who has been tricked or deceived.

• Con - short for confidence trick, a scheme to deceive and defraud someone.

Examples

To get a bank loan, Tom forged most of required documents.

Frank posed as a bank manager but got found out.

While questioned by a Police officer, Harry, a true con artist, completely refused to cooperate.