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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scams
Names, email addresses, birth dates and purchase history can be used to create highly convincing scams.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The report showed romance scams had the highest median dollar loss of all scam types at $6,099.
—Barbara White, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
The jewelry store owners are accused of laundering gold originally purchased by elderly victims of fraud and handed over to couriers who are operating scams in the DFW area and across the country.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Those points include scams linked to crypto ATMs.
—Talia Kaplan, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
For example, withdrawing retirement funds due to scams can lead to particularly harsh outcomes.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In a December report, the Federal Trade Commission said that since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams, with total losses running about $65 million.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The report showed romance scams had the highest median dollar loss of all scam types at $6,099.
—Barbara White, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
The jewelry store owners are accused of laundering gold originally purchased by elderly victims of fraud and handed over to couriers who are operating scams in the DFW area and across the country.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Those points include scams linked to crypto ATMs.
—Talia Kaplan, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
For example, withdrawing retirement funds due to scams can lead to particularly harsh outcomes.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In a December report, the Federal Trade Commission said that since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams, with total losses running about $65 million.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scams
Noun
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The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
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There is absolutely no evidence that frauds of this type or anywhere near this scale are happening in any of the other four states, or frankly that there is a large volume of as-yet-undiscovered fraud in Minnesota itself.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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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The Los Angeles Times reported that similar threats in multiple states, including Georgia, were traced to Russian domains and labeled politically disruptive hoaxes.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
18 Nov. 2025
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In addition to the various homecoming shootings on HBCU campuses, several schools have fallen victim to swatting hoaxes aiming to foster confusion and chaos among the community.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scams. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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