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

These options are harder for scammers to steal because they are designed to work only with the real website or app. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2026

But without consistent rules and active regulators, the market for pre-IPO shares risks turning into a playground for scammers. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

One of my hobbies is talking to scammers online. —Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026

Dirty John, a podcast about serial scammer and abuser John Meehan, had recently completed its circuit from 2017 LA Times investigation and partner podcast to Netflix documentary to TV drama starring Connie Britton and Christian Slater. —Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 May 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