scammer

noun

scam·​mer ˈska-mər 

plural scammers

: one who perpetrates a scam : a person who commits or participates in a fraudulent scheme or operation

insurance/credit card scammers

The company will not call you to ask for your Social Security or account number, but nefarious scammers might.

—Ellen Marks

Now that most people are alert to suspicious e-mails and phony phone calls, text messages are the new frontier for scammers out to con you.

—Consumer Reports

Synonyms of scammer

• cheat
• dodger
• shark
• swindler

Examples of scammer in a Sentence

Internet scammers who never seem to run out of swindles

Recent Examples on the Web

Tessa, one of the mods of the page who has been working to protect the readers, tells Variety that the community has also been working to keep scalpers and scammers at bay. — William Earl, Variety, 20 July 2026

How sweepstakes entry data can reach scammers The exact path will vary by promotion. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026

Homestead Police Chief Mario Knapp is warning the public after scammers impersonated him in an attempt to steal sensitive banking information. — Miami Herald, 18 July 2026

That was one of thousands of cases in which scammers lured their marks through social media posts and sent them through fake court hearings and other official-looking steps, charging large sums along the way. — Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for scammer

• amor
• clamor
• clamour
• glamor
• glamour
• grammar
• hammer
• jammer
• rammer
• stammer
• programmer
• sledgehammer

Kids Definition

scammer

noun

scam·​mer ˈskam-ər 

: someone who perpetuates a scam : a person who commits or participates in a fraudulent scheme or operation