as in frauds
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
that's just a scam to bilk insurance companies for staged accidents
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Recent Examples of scams
More than 60 South Korean nationals were deported from Cambodia and police are seeking to detain most of them over allegations they were involved in online scams.
—
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The guide includes a Risk Calculator that identifies the top scams that users should recognize and the potential financial implications of being targeted.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Investigators say the same networks also operate large-scale text-message scams that feed the card-draining operations.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Last year, more than 40,000 Chinese people were detained in Myanmar over scams and deported to China.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
In the summer of 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James warned about investment scams using deepfake videos of celebrities like Warren Buffett and Elon Musk to lure investors.
—Steven Smith, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Life advice Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images Fraudsters are improving their scams with the help of artificial intelligence.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
Maxwell wants to educate as many users as possible, especially women, to raise awareness of proliferating scams that can ultimately destroy lives.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The guide includes a Risk Calculator that identifies the top scams that users should recognize and the potential financial implications of being targeted.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Investigators say the same networks also operate large-scale text-message scams that feed the card-draining operations.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Last year, more than 40,000 Chinese people were detained in Myanmar over scams and deported to China.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
In the summer of 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James warned about investment scams using deepfake videos of celebrities like Warren Buffett and Elon Musk to lure investors.
—Steven Smith, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Life advice Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images Fraudsters are improving their scams with the help of artificial intelligence.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
Maxwell wants to educate as many users as possible, especially women, to raise awareness of proliferating scams that can ultimately destroy lives.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scams
Noun
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Notice how these two Third World frauds are in federal custody, not state.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
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In the knee-jerk world of modern football, yesterday’s world-beaters are tomorrow’s frauds.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But cybersecurity experts believe many are coming from the same criminal organizations in Southeast Asia that have been linked to other high-profile swindles in recent years, like romance scams on dating apps.—
Shannon Pettypiece,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
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Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Forgeries, hoaxes, and other types of literary fakery have preoccupied Havens, a rare books and manuscripts curator at the university’s Stern Center for the History of the Book, for many years now.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scams. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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