Inklingo

How to Say "fraud" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “fraud” is “engaño” — use 'engaño' for general deception or trickery, especially when the intent is to mislead or fool someone, not necessarily for illegal financial gain..

English → Spanish

engaño

nounB1general
Use 'engaño' for general deception or trickery, especially when the intent is to mislead or fool someone, not necessarily for illegal financial gain.

Examples

El vendedor me hizo un engaño con el precio del coche.

The seller tricked me with the car's price.

estafa

/es-TAH-fah//esˈta.fa/

nounB1legal/financial
Choose 'estafa' when referring to a specific scam or fraudulent scheme, particularly in a legal or financial context, often involving a systematic plan to defraud.
A high-quality storybook illustration showing one simple character being tricked into giving a large gold coin to a second character who is concealing a small, worthless brown pebble in their other hand.

Examples

Cayeron en una estafa piramidal y perdieron todos sus ahorros.

They fell for a pyramid scheme and lost all their savings.

La policía está investigando una estafa por internet que afectó a muchos ancianos.

The police are investigating an internet scam that affected many elderly people.

Fui víctima de una estafa telefónica y perdí cien euros.

I was the victim of a telephone scam and lost one hundred euros.

El banco advierte a sus clientes sobre posibles estafas con tarjetas de crédito.

The bank warns its clients about possible credit card fraud.

Gender Reminder

Even though 'estafa' ends in 'a,' remember that it is a feminine noun, so you must use 'la estafa' or 'una estafa'.

Confusing the Noun and the Person

Mistake: “Usar 'la estafa' para referirse a la persona que comete el crimen.”

Correction: The crime is 'la estafa' (the scam/fraud). The person who commits the crime is 'el/la estafador/a' (the scammer/swindler).

fraude

/FROW-deh//ˈfɾau̯.ðe/

nounB1legal/formal
Use 'fraude' for illegal deception with the intent of financial gain, often in formal or legal settings, such as tax fraud or electoral fraud.
A hand secretly swapping a stack of real gold coins with a stack of dull, fake gray rocks disguised as coins, illustrating illegal deception.

Examples

El contador fue despedido por cometer fraude contable.

The accountant was fired for committing accounting fraud.

La policía investiga un presunto fraude electoral.

The police are investigating alleged electoral fraud.

El contador cometió fraude fiscal y ahora está en la cárcel.

The accountant committed tax fraud and is now in jail.

Recibimos una alerta sobre un posible fraude con tarjetas de crédito.

We received an alert about potential credit card fraud.

Gender Check

'Fraude' is a masculine noun, even though it ends in '-e'. Always use 'el' or 'un': 'el fraude'.

Using the wrong article

Mistake: “La fraude es un delito.”

Correction: El fraude es un delito. ('Fraude' is masculine, so it requires 'el.')

trampa

/tram-pa//ˈtɾampa/

nounB1general/informal
Employ 'trampa' when referring to cheating or a dishonest trick, often in games, exams, or less formal situations, implying unfairness.
Two children playing a board game. One child is discreetly hiding a die in their hand under the table while looking around mischievously.

Examples

Usar un traductor en el examen de español es una trampa.

Using a translator on the Spanish exam is cheating.

Hacer trampa en el examen es inaceptable.

Cheating on the exam is unacceptable.

¡Me hiciste trampa! El juego no funciona así.

You tricked me! The game doesn't work that way.

La oferta era una trampa para que firmáramos el contrato.

The offer was a trick (a setup) to make us sign the contract.

Using the Verb 'Hacer'

To express the action 'to cheat' in Spanish, we usually use the verb 'hacer' (to make/do): 'hacer trampa'. You almost never use the verb 'cheatear'.

Mixing up the Noun and Verb

Mistake: “Yo trampo.”

Correction: Yo hago trampa. ('Trampa' is the noun, 'hacer' is the verb needed for the action.)

Engaño vs. Estafa vs. Fraude

Learners often confuse 'engaño' (general trickery) with 'estafa' (a specific scam or scheme) and 'fraude' (illegal financial deception). While 'estafa' and 'fraude' are often used in legal/financial contexts, 'estafa' usually implies a scheme, while 'fraude' is a broader term for illegal deception for gain.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.