: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
an insurance scam
scammed; scamming; scams
1
: to deceive and defraud (someone)
… the law firm had got the lucrative job of defending the corporate head of a savings and loan that had scammed another thousand or so people out of their savings …—
Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph Wambaugh2
: to obtain (something, such as money) by a scam
A Boston hedge fund manager who scammed millions of dollars from friends, family and other investors in what authorities say was a Ponzi scheme has been sent to prison for more than 14 years.—The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette
The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & GazetteSynonyms
Examples of scam in a Sentence
Noun
She was the victim of an insurance scam.
a sophisticated credit card scam
Verb
The company scammed hundreds of people out of their life savings.
I could tell they were scamming you and charging too much.
They scammed a lot of money from unwary customers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Many times once a financial institution investigates a complaint and determines that the customer isn't a bad actor or didn't fall for some types of scams directly, the money is reimbursed.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2024
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Oct. 2024
Further, fake images can be a trojan horse for cyberattacks, often being shared in conjunction with phishing links or scam fundraising campaigns.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam 
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Noun
This exit scam caused internal friction within BlackCat’s ranks, with the affiliate responsible for the breach breaking away to form its own group, which then reportedly demanded a second ransom.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Many times once a financial institution investigates a complaint and determines that the customer isn't a bad actor or didn't fall for some types of scams directly, the money is reimbursed.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2024
Verb
Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories have hurt the morale of first responders and people who lost everything, helped scam artists and put government and rescue workers in danger.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Oct. 2024
Further, fake images can be a trojan horse for cyberattacks, often being shared in conjunction with phishing links or scam fundraising campaigns.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam
Dictionary Entries Near scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
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