confidence men
Smooth-talking cheaters
Confidence men are swindlers who gain victims' trust before defrauding them.
The con man's art lies in inspiring confidence—appearing trustworthy, knowledgeable, or sympathetic—then exploiting that trust for money or valuables.
The term dates to the nineteenth century and remains current, though con man and con artist are more common today.
The confidence men worked the crowd at the county fair.
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
- deceiverOne who tricks others
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- smooth operatorCharming, calculating person
- fast talkerPersuasive, deceptive speaker
faker · mountebank · con artist · cheater · scammer · bunco · charlatan · grifter · sharper · street hustle · trickster · hoaxer · flimflammer · rope in · easy mark · schemes · deception · impostor
- deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
- roguesrogue, rogues, scoundrel, scoundrels, rascal
- Wall Street historystock exchange, speculative bubbles, ticker tape, bull markets, bear markets
confidence menmuggers
Violent street robbers
burglars · home invaders · carjackers · pickpockets · bank robbers
confidence menfiduciaries
Agents bound by trust
protectors · guardians · trustees · whistleblowers · fraud investigators
confidence, confident, confide, confidential, confidant, unconfident, confiding, overconfidence, confidante