Scammers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Fraudsters who exploit people's trust to illegally acquire their money or possessions
2. Individuals who use deceitful tactics to extract financial resources from unsuspecting victims
3. Persons who engage in dishonest schemes to fraudulently obtain money or valuables from others

Etymology: "Scammers" is the plural of "scammer," formed by adding the agent suffix "-er" to "scam." The suffix itself has a long pedigree: it travelled from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier" into Middle English "-er," and it has roots reaching back to Old English "-ere," so the same ending that marks a baker or a sailor now marks someone who runs a swindle. The base word "scam" is the more recent piece, and its exact origins are uncertain. It appears in English as a slang term for a fraud or swindle, and the "-er" was then added to name the person who carries one out. The result is a word that is simple in construction, even if the verb it grows from has a murkier past than the suffix attached to it.

Synonyms: frauds, con artists, swindlers