scam victim
Duped by fraud
A scam victim is someone who has been deceived by a fraudulent scheme, typically losing money, personal information, or both.
The term encompasses anyone from elderly people targeted by phone scams to investors defrauded by Ponzi schemes: Scam victims often feel ashamed to report what happened.
Unlike marks or suckers, the phrase carries no blame—it frames the deceived person as wronged rather than foolish.
- dupeDeceive or victim
- markVisible impression or sign
- suckerEasily fooled person
- easy targetVulnerable person or thing
- targetObject of pursuit
conned · swindled · deceived · fell for it · cheated · ripped off · taken advantage of · gullible · naive · trusting · too good to be true · exploited · manipulated · phishing · identity theft · catfished · pyramid scheme · Ponzi
- scam victimsdupe, mark
- consumer problemsdefective product, billing error, wrong item, hidden fees, hidden fee
- victimscasualty, survivors, fatality, casualties, sufferer
- money mistakesoverspending, impulse buying, gambling debt, debt spiral, no savings