Inklingo

How to Say "scam" in Spanish

English → Spanish

estafa

/es-TAH-fah//esˈta.fa/

nounB1general
Use 'estafa' when referring to a general act of deception or trickery, especially one that involves defrauding someone of money or property, like an online scam or a con artist's scheme.
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

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/

nounB1general
Use 'fraude' when the deception is more organized, systematic, or involves a violation of established rules or laws, such as electoral fraud or corporate 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

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.')

Estafa vs. Fraude

Learners often confuse 'estafa' and 'fraude'. While both mean deception, 'estafa' is the go-to for everyday scams and confidence tricks. Reserve 'fraude' for more formal contexts involving illegal schemes or breaches of regulations.

Related Translations

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