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

The sheriff’s department also warned that scammers could attempt to capitalize on the high-profile investigation and urged anyone who receives messages related to the case to contact law enforcement. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026

Pressing further, Hershkowitz told Rogers that the information was important in determining whether the scammers’ threats were real. — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Large settlements often attract phishing attempts because scammers know people are looking for claim information. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

The scammers effectively isolated her and persuaded her not to communicate with anyone who might have interrupted the scheme. — Angela Ramos, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 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