conmen
Professional trust abusers
Conmen is the plural of conman—a person who swindles others through deception, typically by gaining their trust before exploiting it.
The term comes from confidence man, reflecting how these schemers depend on winning confidence before the fraud: The conmen posed as investment advisors and bilked retirees of their savings.
Also spelled con men.
Person who deceives for money
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
hustler · trickster · deceiver · cheat · hoaxer · mountebank · flimflammer · shyster
Energetic, aggressive action
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- stingSharp wound from insect
- racketUproar, scam, or paddle
- griftSwindle or petty fraud
heist · flimflam · bunco · shell game · Ponzi scheme · pyramid scheme · bait and switch · three-card monte
Intentional misleading of others
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
- charmAttractive personal quality
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
sleight · ruse · ploy · gambit · pretense · guile · subterfuge · artifice
Deception for financial gain
hoodwink · bamboozle · cozen · cheat · gull · rook · hustle · sting
Sly, scheming cleverness
- slickSmooth or craftily adept
- unscrupulousLacking moral principles
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
charismatic · opportunistic · predatory · audacious · shameless · smooth · devious · wily
swindler
Person who deceives for money
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
charlatan · hustler · trickster · deceiver · cheat · hoaxer · mountebank · flimflammer · shyster · faker
hustle
Energetic, aggressive action
grift · heist · flimflam · bunco · shell game · Ponzi scheme · pyramid scheme · bait and switch · three-card monte · wire fraud
deception
Intentional misleading of others
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
- charmAttractive personal quality
misdirection · sleight · ruse · ploy · gambit · pretense · guile · subterfuge · artifice · feint
swindle
Deception for financial gain
dupe · hoodwink · bamboozle · cozen · cheat · gull · rook · hustle · sting · victimize
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
- slickSmooth or craftily adept
- unscrupulousLacking moral principles
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
calculating · charismatic · opportunistic · predatory · audacious · shameless · smooth · devious · wily · scheming
conmenwatchdogs
Protective guardian animals
whistleblowers · fraud investigators · protectors · guardians · advisors