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

This limits how easily scammers can find and target you. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025

Between the shopping trips, flash sales, and donation requests, the holidays are often prime time for scammers. —Samantha Leal, Refinery29, 20 Nov. 2025

The holiday shopping season is creating fresh openings for scammers looking to snag consumers' payment data, according to Visa's 2025 Holiday Threats Report. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025

Of course, scammers could use the technology for the same purposes. —PC Magazine, 20 Nov. 2025

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