scam
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A dishonest plan or scheme designed to trick someone out of money or property, often involving false promises or misrepresentation.
Verb:
- To cheat or defraud someone through a deceptive scheme or trick.
Usage
- As a Noun: Use "scam" to describe the fraudulent scheme itself.
- As a Verb: Use "scam" to describe the action of perpetrating such a fraud.
Examples
- Noun:
- The email offering a fake prize was an obvious scam.
- Authorities uncovered a sophisticated investment scam targeting retirees.
- Verb:
- The con artist tried to scam elderly people by pretending to be from the bank.
- They were scammed into paying for a vacation that never existed.
Advanced Usage
- "to pull a scam": to execute or carry out a fraudulent scheme.
- The group was arrested for pulling a complex real estate scam.
- "scam artist": a person who regularly devises and executes scams (Note: This is a compound noun listed separately as a variant).
- "internet scam" / "online scam": a fraudulent scheme conducted via the internet.
Variants and Related Words
- Scammer (n): A person who carries out a scam.
- The scammer was finally caught by the police.
- Scam artist (n): Synonym for a skilled or habitual scammer.
- Scammy (adj, informal): Resembling or characteristic of a scam.
- The offer seemed a bit scammy, so I avoided it.
Synonyms
- Noun: Swindle, fraud, con, racket, hoax.
- Verb: Swindle, defraud, con, cheat, fleece.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases
- "scam someone out of something": to deprive someone of something through fraud.
- He scammed his partners out of thousands of dollars.
Related Idioms
- "A scam from start to finish": Something that is entirely fraudulent.
- The whole business deal was a scam from start to finish.
Noun
- a fraudulent business scheme
Verb
- deprive of by deceit
- He swindled me out of my inheritance
- She defrauded the customers who trusted her
- the cashier gypped me when he gave me too little change