scammer

noun

scam·​mer ˈska-mər How to pronounce scammer (audio)
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

Examples of scammer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But that simple action exposes her to a scammer who may also be a serial killer who sets online traps for his victims. Patrick Frater, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023 The scammers fabricated investment gains, then took the money and vanished, quickly laundering the funds through cryptocurrency addresses and tokens. Megan Poinski, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 The download actually delivers malware to the victims, which steals social media credentials for the scammers to use. Jon Porter, The Verge, 13 Nov. 2023 With their popularity and high prices, scammers often target Apple products. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023 Black contracted with someone named Tristan, who turned out to be a scammer. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2023 The tech giant is seeking an order to stop scammers from setting up fake profiles and wants the ability to disable the fake pages with U.S. domain registrars, and is suing the scammers for trademark infringement and breach of contract. Britney Nguyen, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 The lawsuit notes that scammers have specifically used promoted Facebook posts in an attempt to distribute malware. Jon Porter, The Verge, 13 Nov. 2023 Whatever new engagement metrics emerge for software projects, companies, or people, the scammers won’t be far behind. WIRED, 23 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scammer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scammer was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near scammer

Cite this Entry

“Scammer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scammer. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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