Inklingo

How to Say "swindle" in Spanish

English → Spanish

estafa

/es-TAH-fah//esˈta.fa/

nounB1general
Use 'estafa' when referring to a specific act of cheating someone out of money, usually involving a deliberate plan or 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' for a more general act of trickery, dishonesty, or deception, which can apply to various contexts beyond financial scams, like elections or identity theft.
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' because both involve deception. Remember that 'estafa' is more commonly used for specific financial scams or confidence tricks, while 'fraude' is a broader term for dishonesty or trickery in any context, including legal or political ones.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.