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
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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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of frauds
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.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
The Man Who Stole Portugal is inspired by the titular true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom about Alves dos Reis, who pulled off one of the largest frauds in history against the Bank of Portugal in 1925.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 May 2026
Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal have gone on public view in Malaysia for the first time, offering a modest but pointed reminder of one of the largest financial frauds in modern history.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026
Noticias Telemundo also contacted Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the three platforms where the frauds analyzed in this reporting originated.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers recommends customers take precautions to avoid potential frauds by calling sources and double-checking any information or requests.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
That will weed out the frauds, freeloaders and slumlords.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
The Man Who Stole Portugal is inspired by the titular true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom about Alves dos Reis, who pulled off one of the largest frauds in history against the Bank of Portugal in 1925.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 May 2026
Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal have gone on public view in Malaysia for the first time, offering a modest but pointed reminder of one of the largest financial frauds in modern history.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026
Noticias Telemundo also contacted Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the three platforms where the frauds analyzed in this reporting originated.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers recommends customers take precautions to avoid potential frauds by calling sources and double-checking any information or requests.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
That will weed out the frauds, freeloaders and slumlords.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frauds
Noun
-
The whole story is wild to read, and proof that scams, both online and on your phone, are big business and can make big money.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
Banks including the United Kingdom’s Starling and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia have warned customers to watch out for voice cloning scams.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The main goal isn't to catch fakes but to move inventory.—
Padmakumar Nair,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Unfortunately, we were deprived of all those fake idols getting played because players kept leaving the game with fakes in their pockets, socks, and bags.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The king-size quilt measures 90x180 inches, and also comes with two matching 20x36-inch shams.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 May 2026
-
Make sure to add the matching shams to your order to complete the look.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Now, hardship seems to be an end in itself, a battle scar or badge of honor that distinguishes true backpackers from mere pretenders.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Time,
4 May 2026
-
This is where hype turns into hard numbers, and contenders start getting separated from pretenders.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Then give the land back, you pompous charlatans.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
-
The 21st century’s obstacles for young men—as seen in deaths of despair and lagging employment—have been amply publicized both by credible journalists and by charlatans such as Fuentes.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
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These scams often include government impostors, direct deposit fraud, phishing, identity theft, payment redirection and social media scams.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
But let’s circle back to TV‘s patron saint of affable, oft–insidious quacks.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Dec. 2025
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Automatic ducking doesn't add quacks to your soundtrack.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frauds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frauds. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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