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

Thousands of dollars gone After gaining access, Lewis said the scammers used Zelle to move $7,000 out of his account. — Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Doherty’s saga occurred earlier this month when the firm’s likeness was stolen by online scammers who were trying to get the text recipients to hand over their Social Security and bank account numbers to secure a job that didn’t exist. — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026

The scammers repeated the same story with another fake credit, this time for $100,000. — Ari Maas, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026

Yet experts warn Muse Image could be used by criminals and scammers. — Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 10 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