You searched for: “scam
scam, scam, scram
scam (SKAM) (noun)
A deceptive, dishonest, or fraudulent undertaking: The police arrested the two who were operating a scam and convincing others to give them money.

The Ponzi scam was an investment swindle in which some early investors were paid off with money put up by later people in order to encourage more and bigger risks.

scam (SKAM) (verb)
To get something; such as, money by deceiving individuals: The Ponzi scheme was designed to scam or rip off money from thousands of people.
scram (SKRAM) (verb)
1. To depart, to leave, to go away quickly: The delinquents had to scram or bolt off before the police arrived.
2. To command or to tell someone, or an animal, to leave or to get out of a place: Vernon's mother told him to scram or clear out after she caught him eating cookies instead of carrot sticks.

When Terri, the small grocery store owner, realized that the two children were trying to scam her into giving them some free candy, she told them to scram.

Word Entries at Get Words: “scam
scam (s) (noun), scams (pl)
1. An unscrupulous business scheme for making money by dishonest means: The police were able to arrest the gang which was running a scam out of a basement.
2. A situation in which a person has been deprived of something by means of deceit; such as, a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme; especially, for making a quick profit; a swindle: Every day people read in the papers about those who have fallen prey to criminal scams because someone was trying to deceive them in order to get their money.
3. Etymology: from 1963, used as a noun or a verb; U.S. slang; said to be a carnival term, of unknown origin; however, it is obviously related to "fraud" in meaning.
This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group S (page 1)