Definition

1. Noun:

   • A dishonest plan or scheme designed to trick someone out of money or property, often involving false promises or misrepresentation.

2. 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

1. a fraudulent business scheme

Verb

1. 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