Synonyms of frauds

frauds

noun

plural of fraud

1

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

thousands of people lost money when the investment scheme turned out to be a fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scams
• swindles
• hoaxes
• cons
• schemes
• devices
• hustles
• shell games
• fiddles
• stings
• tricks
• flimflams
• counterfeits
• buncos
• rackets
• Ponzi schemes
• forgeries
• crosses
• pyramid schemes
• rip-offs
• stratagems
• fixes
• fakes
• wiles
• phonies
• sleights
• ploys
• jigs
• shams
• dodges
• gimmicks
• humbug
• thimblerigs
• three-card montes

2

as in fakes

one who makes false claims of identity or expertise

the "blind" panhandler was just a fraud trying to con holiday shoppers out of their money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fakes
• shams
• pretenders
• charlatans
• deceivers
• fakers
• impostors
• quacks
• misleaders
• humbugs
• actors
• phonies
• mountebanks
• counterfeiters
• operators
• fakirs
• hoaxers
• ringers
• copycats
• imitators
• dissemblers
• swindlers
• quacksalvers
• tricksters
• scammers
• impersonators
• fraudsters
• skinners
• mimics
• poseurs
• sharpers
• dodgers
• defrauders
• bluffers
• duper
• scamsters
• sharpies
• feigners
• cozeners

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• professionals
• experts
• masters
• authorities
• adepts
• virtuosos
• wizards
• aces
• past masters
• maestros
• whizzes
• crackerjacks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frauds

In 2018, Modi was accused by Indian authorities of orchestrating one of the country’s largest bank frauds in modern history. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026

In 2024, Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for orchestrating what prosecutors have called one of the biggest financial frauds in American history. — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Focus Your Defenses Where The Risk Is Highest​ Many of today's biggest frauds begin with an email, an invoice or a payment request that looks completely legitimate. — Mark Beare, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 15 July 2026

Uwanawich is accused of helping Evans, who had been previously convicted of similar frauds in Texas and Florida, by managing the bank accounts tied to the scheme, selling gold coins, transferring and spending the proceeds from the frauds, authorities said. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2026

But the use of AI to impersonate Leal marks an evolution in how scammers are harnessing vulnerable immigrants’ anxieties and turning them into lucrative frauds. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026

The request was audacious, even by the standards of a man accused of one of the largest financial frauds in history. — Jennifer Gould, Air Mail, 30 May 2026

Lindberg, 56, pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to defraud insurers and thousands of policy holders in one of the largest insurance frauds in US history, federal prosecutors said in a statement. — David Voreacos, Bloomberg, 26 May 2026