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
In past years, scammers have leaned heavily on impersonation.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
This is the police’ The Boston Police Department is warning people that calls in which scammers impersonate police in order to demand money are on the rise.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Online dating has become increasingly popular, and many scammers are using that to their advantage by creating romantic schemes to steal financial and personal information from victims.
—Barbara White, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Unsolicited calls, texts or social media messages could be scammers looking to steal your money or identity.
—Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.
—ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Watch for utility impersonation scammers The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said there has been an increase in scammers claiming to be from your utility company to try to obtain your personal or banking information.
—Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
The scammers used Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, to move and launder the funds.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
The Yahoo Boys promises to be an in-depth work of narrative nonfiction that explores the material conditions that make these scams profitable, and the lives of four such scammers in Lagos, Nigeria.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
This is the police’ The Boston Police Department is warning people that calls in which scammers impersonate police in order to demand money are on the rise.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Online dating has become increasingly popular, and many scammers are using that to their advantage by creating romantic schemes to steal financial and personal information from victims.
—Barbara White, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Unsolicited calls, texts or social media messages could be scammers looking to steal your money or identity.
—Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.
—ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Watch for utility impersonation scammers The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said there has been an increase in scammers claiming to be from your utility company to try to obtain your personal or banking information.
—Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
The scammers used Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, to move and launder the funds.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
The Yahoo Boys promises to be an in-depth work of narrative nonfiction that explores the material conditions that make these scams profitable, and the lives of four such scammers in Lagos, Nigeria.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scammers
Noun
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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
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Others might feel the author cheats here, leaving it up to the reader to decide.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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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One of Katy Perry’s two gyrating sharks in fugue state.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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Yet despite their impressive size, encounters with these enigmas remain exceedingly rare due to the myriad of challenges of studying deep-sea sharks.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scammers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scammers. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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