as in cheats
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value
Internet scammers who never seem to run out of swindles
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Recent Examples of scammers
There have been issues before with scammers texting or calling people about fake fines, but this most recent one involves scammers texting a fake form to people across the country.
—
Christa Swanson, CBS News, 3 May 2026
These tools help remove your information from data broker sites, which reduces what scammers can find about you online.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Social engineering is a type of fraud scheme used to trick victims into providing scammers with passwords, PINs and other personal information.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The service has dedicated IP addresses and servers from various locations in other countries all around the world to mask your home location against hackers and scammers.
—Rudie Obias, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
Other scammers claimed the government had intercepted packages full of money and drugs addressed to immigrants, who were told to make a payment or face arrest.
—Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2026
New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows scammers use a variety of ways to connect with people, including via phone calls, text messages, emails and through social media.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Tona Henderson, an Idaho resident who has worked for decades to get Idaho included in the program, warned of scammers charging people to help file claims.
—Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 26 Apr. 2026
The rise of scams From the very beginning, González Silvera began paying the scammers via Zelle electronic transfers.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
Christa Swanson, CBS News, 3 May 2026
These tools help remove your information from data broker sites, which reduces what scammers can find about you online.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Social engineering is a type of fraud scheme used to trick victims into providing scammers with passwords, PINs and other personal information.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The service has dedicated IP addresses and servers from various locations in other countries all around the world to mask your home location against hackers and scammers.
—Rudie Obias, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
Other scammers claimed the government had intercepted packages full of money and drugs addressed to immigrants, who were told to make a payment or face arrest.
—Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2026
New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows scammers use a variety of ways to connect with people, including via phone calls, text messages, emails and through social media.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Tona Henderson, an Idaho resident who has worked for decades to get Idaho included in the program, warned of scammers charging people to help file claims.
—Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 26 Apr. 2026
The rise of scams From the very beginning, González Silvera began paying the scammers via Zelle electronic transfers.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scammers
Noun
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Iran lies, cheats, blusters and bullies.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
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The world is full of bad actors—cheats, liars, tyrants, sickos—who are, ultimately, mere human beings; at least, this was how rationality would have it.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.—
Kirsten Grieshaber,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
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But my collection intentionally ignored the fraudulent exploits of billionaire heirs, tax dodgers and corporate magnates — defense contracts, government lobbying, bank accounts in Switzerland, shell companies in Panama, citizenship of Antigua and political asylum in London.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite their aging heart, the sharks seemed quite able to get around—some of the specimens in the study were collected by longline fishing in Greenland waters, suggesting the sharks could find bait and successfully capture it.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
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Various species of sharks, some of which are endangered, hauled on shore at dawn by commercial fishermen at the Tanjung Luar port in East Lombok, Indonesia, last June.—
Jay Ganglani,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Noun
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The decade ended tumultuously, with the Osmond family’s fortune drained by a series of swindlers and grifters.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
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This scam, according to Kent, could be proliferated with the use of AI, which can allow swindlers to enroll in many different college programs at once.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scammers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scammers. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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