: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
an insurance scam
scammed; scamming; scams
1
: to deceive and defraud (someone)
… the law firm had got the lucrative job of defending the corporate head of a savings and loan that had scammed another thousand or so people out of their savings …—
Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph Wambaugh2
: to obtain (something, such as money) by a scam
A Boston hedge fund manager who scammed millions of dollars from friends, family and other investors in what authorities say was a Ponzi scheme has been sent to prison for more than 14 years.—The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette
The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette
Synonyms
Examples of scam in a Sentence
Noun
She was the victim of an insurance scam.
a sophisticated credit card scam
Verb
The company scammed hundreds of people out of their life savings.
I could tell they were scamming you and charging too much.
They scammed a lot of money from unwary customers.
Recent Examples on the WebBeth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
As for scam calls impersonating loved ones, there's no high-tech detection that flags them.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Every year, the Internal Revenue Service highlights its Dirty Dozen tax scams.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
There is also an absolute need to go over the Steel Bite Pro scam complaints after sifting through multiple negative reviews and user side effect reports online.
—Michael Carroll, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Eclipse scams can involve fake glasses, hotel scams Everything is bigger about this eclipse in 2024, including a need for anything eclipse related from special treats to T-shirts.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
Former Hialeah pharmacy owner Nunez, the former registered owner of Lily and Rosy Pharmacy in Hialeah who also worked for Azul Pharmacy Corp. in Southwest Miami-Dade, was indicted along with 17 others in the Medicare drug scam in April 2016.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Investigators arrested a suspect who allegedly stole $30,000 from an 83-year-old Marin County woman in an online scam.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
The scam purportedly begins with a barrage of system notifications asking the Apple user to reset their Apple ID password, Krebs on Security explained.
—Jody Serrano / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The bill also aims to crack down on people who list homes for sale or rent without having the legal authority to do so, seeking to scam other individuals.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
The same way people try to scam on Twitter or Instagram, or jump into your DMs trying to sell you crypto using a fake profile.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Victims of trafficking are forced to become fraudsters by creating fake social media accounts and dating profiles to scam and extort millions of dollars from people around the world using different schemes such as fake crypto investment sites.
—Sen Nguyen, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
Last August, Berhan was charged with conspiring with other law enforcement officials to scam the cities of Antioch and Pittsburg out of incentive pay offered to cops who get college degrees.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
The two best friends conspire to scam Bruce Marcus, one of Silicon Valley’s most famous venture capitalist billionaires, played by actor and comedian Marc Evan Jackson, out of millions of dollars.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
They’re lured to compounds in countries including Cambodia and Myanmar with offers of high-paying jobs, then trapped, forced to scam, and sometimes beaten and tortured.
—Zeke Faux, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024
Across the internet, an unknown actor had created a deepfake video of MrBeast to scam his many followers.
—Emilien Coquard, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
Noun
In September 2014, ATF agents had raided the Oklahoma farm where Pierson set up his scam inside a large portable building outside his mother's house, ordering gun parts and forwarding them to a cartel associate in Laredo.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
As for scam calls impersonating loved ones, there's no high-tech detection that flags them.
—Huo Jingnan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Every year, the Internal Revenue Service highlights its Dirty Dozen tax scams.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
There is also an absolute need to go over the Steel Bite Pro scam complaints after sifting through multiple negative reviews and user side effect reports online.
—Michael Carroll, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Eclipse scams can involve fake glasses, hotel scams Everything is bigger about this eclipse in 2024, including a need for anything eclipse related from special treats to T-shirts.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
Former Hialeah pharmacy owner Nunez, the former registered owner of Lily and Rosy Pharmacy in Hialeah who also worked for Azul Pharmacy Corp. in Southwest Miami-Dade, was indicted along with 17 others in the Medicare drug scam in April 2016.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Investigators arrested a suspect who allegedly stole $30,000 from an 83-year-old Marin County woman in an online scam.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
The scam purportedly begins with a barrage of system notifications asking the Apple user to reset their Apple ID password, Krebs on Security explained.
—Jody Serrano / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
Real investments also come with elaborate prospectuses; scam investments usually (but not always) do not.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The bill also aims to crack down on people who list homes for sale or rent without having the legal authority to do so, seeking to scam other individuals.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
The same way people try to scam on Twitter or Instagram, or jump into your DMs trying to sell you crypto using a fake profile.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Victims of trafficking are forced to become fraudsters by creating fake social media accounts and dating profiles to scam and extort millions of dollars from people around the world using different schemes such as fake crypto investment sites.
—Sen Nguyen, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
Last August, Berhan was charged with conspiring with other law enforcement officials to scam the cities of Antioch and Pittsburg out of incentive pay offered to cops who get college degrees.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
The two best friends conspire to scam Bruce Marcus, one of Silicon Valley’s most famous venture capitalist billionaires, played by actor and comedian Marc Evan Jackson, out of millions of dollars.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
They’re lured to compounds in countries including Cambodia and Myanmar with offers of high-paying jobs, then trapped, forced to scam, and sometimes beaten and tortured.
—Zeke Faux, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024
Across the internet, an unknown actor had created a deepfake video of MrBeast to scam his many followers.
—Emilien Coquard, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
scam
nounˈskam
: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
lost $500 in a business scam
scam
verb
Etymology
Noun
origin unknown
More from Merriam-Webster on scam
Nglish: Translation of scam for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of scam for Arabic Speakers
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