I. ˈskam, -aa(ə)m, -aim noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
: a confidence scheme in which an established business is taken over, merchandise is purchased on credit and quickly sold, and then the business is abandoned or bankruptcy is declared ; broadly : a fraudulent or deceptive practice
insurance swindles, credit-card rackets, and practically every scam devised by man — Joe Flaherty
II. " transitive verb
( scammed ; scammed ; scamming ; scams -s )
1. : deceive : defraud
scams his senile grandmother out of $3 million — Jane Clapperton
2. : to obtain (as money) by a scam
• scam·mer -ə(r) noun slang