swindlers
Professional trust exploiters
Swindlers are people who cheat others out of money or property through deception.
The word implies deliberate fraud rather than opportunistic theft—swindlers gain trust before exploiting it.
The swindlers posed as investment advisors and disappeared with their clients' savings.
People who deceive for gain
- embezzlersThose who steal entrusted funds
- PonziSwindler's surname, now generic
- investorsThose who commit capital
- schemesCrafty organized plans
securities · banks · money · accounts · offshore · pyramid · returns · portfolios
People who cheat others
- griftersPetty swindlers, confidence tricksters
- hustlersThose who deceive for profit
- scammersPeople who defraud others
- marksVisible signs or grades
victims · trust · deception · manipulation · charm · persuasion · stories · aliases
Pretenders to special knowledge
- mountebanksDeceitful peddlers of remedies
- snake oilFraudulent cure-all
- flimflamDeceptive scheme or nonsense
- huckstersAggressive or unscrupulous sellers
carpetbaggers · traveling salesmen · elixirs · tonics · medicine shows · fakirs · sham · quacks
Fraudulent credential harvesting
- hackersUnauthorized computer system intruders
- catfishingDeceiving via false identity
- Nigerian princeEmail scam persona
- identity theftStealing personal data criminally
malware · ransomware · spoofing · social engineering · passwords · clickbait · romance scams · cryptocurrency
Pursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- fraud chargesAccusations of criminal deception
- trialJudicial examination of claims
- sentencingImposing legal punishment
restitution · prison · evidence · testimony · investigators · FBI · SEC · extradition
fraudsters
People who deceive for gain
- embezzlersThose who steal entrusted funds
- PonziSwindler's surname, now generic
- investorsThose who commit capital
schemes · securities · banks · money · accounts · offshore · pyramid · returns · portfolios · Wall Street
con artists
People who cheat others
- griftersPetty swindlers, confidence tricksters
- hustlersThose who deceive for profit
- scammersPeople who defraud others
marks · victims · trust · deception · manipulation · charm · persuasion · stories · aliases · identities
charlatans
Pretenders to special knowledge
- mountebanksDeceitful peddlers of remedies
- snake oilFraudulent cure-all
- flimflamDeceptive scheme or nonsense
hucksters · carpetbaggers · traveling salesmen · elixirs · tonics · medicine shows · fakirs · sham · quacks · peddlers
phishing
Fraudulent credential harvesting
- hackersUnauthorized computer system intruders
- catfishingDeceiving via false identity
- Nigerian princeEmail scam persona
identity theft · malware · ransomware · spoofing · social engineering · passwords · clickbait · romance scams · cryptocurrency · fake websites
prosecution
Pursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- fraud chargesAccusations of criminal deception
- trialJudicial examination of claims
sentencing · restitution · prison · evidence · testimony · investigators · FBI · SEC · extradition · plea bargain
- deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
- roguesrogue, rogues, scoundrel, scoundrels, rascal
- Con Artist Tropescon artists, deceivers, schemes, imposters, double-crosses
- Wall Street historystock exchange, speculative bubbles, ticker tape, bull markets, bear markets
- predatorspredators, hunters, lions, falcon, fox
- tough guystough guys, tough guy, thug, thugs, enforcer
swindlersstraight shooters
Forthright, honest individuals
honest brokers · philanthropists · benefactors · straight arrows · truthtellers
swindlersprotectors
Those who guard others
guardians · helpers · saviors · philanthropists · benefactors