confidence man
Noun: A person who commits fraud by gaining and then betraying the trust of a victim. The term specifically refers to a swindler whose primary method is to first establish a sense of confidence, trust, or rapport with the target before deceiving them for financial gain.
The term "confidence man" is used to label a specific type of criminal. It is a formal or descriptive term, often found in legal, journalistic, or historical contexts. It describes the perpetrator's method (exploiting trust) rather than just the act of swindling. * The elderly couple lost their savings to a confidence man who posed as a financial advisor. * The classic novel depicts the adventures of a charming confidence man traveling down the Mississippi River.
- The police warned the public about a sophisticated confidence man targeting small business owners with fake investment schemes.
- He wasn't a violent thief but a smooth-talking confidence man.
- Her story of being deceived by a confidence man was featured in a documentary about modern scams.
- "Con man" is a very common, shortened informal variant of "confidence man." The two terms are often used interchangeably, though "con man" is more frequent in everyday speech.
- The article detailed how the con man used fake identities to gain his victims' trust.
- The act itself is called a "confidence game" or "con game."
- The elaborate fraud was a classic confidence game.
- Con artist: A synonym that emphasizes the skill, artistry, or performance involved in the deception. It often carries a slight nuance of admiration for the cunning involved.
- Swindler / Fraudster: More general terms for someone who commits fraud; they do not inherently specify the method of gaining trust.
- Grifter: An informal term, very similar to "con artist," often used in American English.
- Scammer: A broad, modern term for someone who executes scams, often online or via phone.
Swindler, fraudster, con artist, grifter, impostor, trickster, deceiver.
- To con someone: The verb form, meaning to deceive someone using confidence tricks.
- He conned them out of thousands of dollars.
- A con job: An informal term for an instance of fraud perpetrated by a confidence man.
- The whole deal turned out to be a con job.
- a swindler who exploits the confidence of his victim