scam
/skæm/ (bre, ipa) · /skæm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈskam/ (ame, mw)
scam — noun
- scamsingular
- scamsplural
1. a false plan or set of actions that is designed to cheat people, usually to take
a false plan or set of actions that is designed to cheat people, usually to take their money or steal their personal information
A free trip offer turned out to be a scam, so Jenna deleted the email.
Police shut down a fake investment scam that took money from over a hundred people.
collocation: investment scam / online scam
Rania's grandmother nearly fell for a phone scam — a caller said she owed taxes.
The job offer was actually a clever scam designed to steal applicants' bank details.
Anjali warned her neighbours about a door-to-door charity scam in the area.
文法句型
be a scam
run a scam
fall for a scam
用法筆記
The noun scam refers to the dishonest plan itself, while the verb scam describes what the person running the plan does to the victim.
常見錯誤
scam — verb
- scampresent simple I / you / we / they
- scams3rd person singular
- scamming-ing form
- scammedpast simple
1. to cheat a person by telling them lies or giving them false information, so that
to cheat a person by telling them lies or giving them false information, so that they give you money or do what you want them to do
A stranger scammed Otis by pretending to be a charity worker collecting donations.
scam + direct object (person)
Sofie was scammed out of her rent money by someone offering a flat that did not exist.
passive: be scammed out of [something]
The fake website scammed hundreds of shoppers into entering their credit card numbers.
Sari almost got scammed by a market seller who sold her a fake designer watch.
文法句型
scam [someone]
scam [someone] out of [something]
scam [someone] into [doing something]
用法筆記
The direct object of this sense is always a person or group of people. To say what was taken, use the pattern scam [someone] out of [something].
常見錯誤
2. to get money, goods, or services from someone by running a dishonest scheme agai
to get money, goods, or services from someone by running a dishonest scheme against them — for example, scamming money from an elderly relative, or scamming free tickets from a company
The con artist scammed nearly ten thousand dollars from a retired couple.
pattern: scam [money] from [someone]
Jabari discovered that someone had scammed free access to his streaming service.
The worker was fired after he scammed extra overtime pay from the company.
Isabela scammed a free meal from the cafe by saying her order was wrong.
The hacker scammed personal data from thousands of users through fake login screens.
文法句型
scam [something] from [someone]
scam [something]
用法筆記
The direct object here is the thing obtained (money, goods, access, information), unlike sense 1 where the object is the person. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking who or what comes right after the verb.