conman
Professional trust abuser
A conman is a person who swindles others through deception, gaining their trust before exploiting it for money or advantage.
The term is short for confidence man—one who wins confidence to abuse it: The conman posed as a financial advisor and bilked retirees of their savings.
Con artist is a near-synonym.
Petty fraud perpetrator
- scammerOne who defrauds others
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- hustlerAggressive, unscrupulous earner
cheat · trickster · impostor · charlatan · flimflammer · shark · shyster · mountebank
Dishonest money-making scheme
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- hustleEnergetic, aggressive action
- flimflamDeceptive scheme or nonsense
- conArgument against
scheme · ruse · ploy · grift · racket · bamboozle · hoodwink · fleece
Taunt inviting pursuit
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- flimflam manProfessional deceiver for profit
- buncoDice-based fraud scheme
- snake oilFraudulent cure-all
card sharp · three-card monte · Ponzi · huckster · carnival barker · traveling salesman · spieler
Intentional criminal trickery
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- pretenseDeceptive outward show
- shamFraudulent imitation
artifice · trickery · deceit · chicanery · fakery · imposture · masquerade · double-cross
Sly, scheming cleverness
- slynessCunning in manner
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- deviousnessSneaky, underhanded quality
wiliness · shrewdness · slickness · charm · charisma · smooth-talking · manipulation · duplicity
grifter
Petty fraud perpetrator
- scammerOne who defrauds others
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
hustler · cheat · trickster · impostor · charlatan · flimflammer · shark · shyster · mountebank · hoaxer
scam
Dishonest money-making scheme
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- hustleEnergetic, aggressive action
- flimflamDeceptive scheme or nonsense
con · scheme · ruse · ploy · grift · racket · bamboozle · hoodwink · fleece · dupe
Catch Me If You Can
Taunt inviting pursuit
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- flimflam manProfessional deceiver for profit
- buncoDice-based fraud scheme
snake oil · card sharp · three-card monte · Ponzi · huckster · carnival barker · traveling salesman · spieler
fraud
Intentional criminal trickery
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- pretenseDeceptive outward show
sham · artifice · trickery · deceit · chicanery · fakery · imposture · masquerade · double-cross · forgery
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
- slynessCunning in manner
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
deviousness · wiliness · shrewdness · slickness · charm · charisma · smooth-talking · manipulation · duplicity · deceitfulness
conmanhonest broker
Impartial third-party negotiator
straight shooter · truth-teller · straight arrow · genuine article · mensch
conmanvictim
One harmed by another
mark · fraud investigator · whistleblower · prosecutor · protector
conmansaint
Canonized holy person
hero · benefactor · philanthropist · altruist · do-gooder