Inklingo

How to Say "to scam" in Spanish

English → Spanish

estafar

/es-tah-FAR//estaˈfaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'estafar' when the scam involves a significant deception, often with the goal of obtaining money or property illegally, like in a business or online fraud.
A suspicious person in a dark hoodie handing a fake gold coin to an unsuspecting person in exchange for a bag of money.

Examples

Intentaron estafarme con un correo falso.

They tried to scam me with a fake email.

El hombre estafó a sus clientes y huyó con el dinero.

The man swindled his clients and fled with the money.

Es fácil estafar a la gente que busca dinero rápido.

It is easy to rip off people who are looking for quick money.

The 'Personal A'

When you use 'estafar' with a person, you must use 'a' before the person's name or title, like 'Estafaron a mi vecino'.

Regular Verb Pattern

This verb follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ar, making it easy to conjugate once you know the basics.

Estafar vs. Robar

Mistake: “Me estafaron el teléfono en la calle.”

Correction: Me robaron el teléfono en la calle. Use 'estafar' for tricks and lies, and 'robar' for physical theft.

timar

/tee-MAHR//tiˈmaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'timar' for more casual or common acts of trickery, like a street scam, pickpocketing, or a deceptive sales tactic aimed at fooling someone.
A street performer hiding a gold coin under one of three cups to trick a passerby.

Examples

Ten cuidado con esos correos electrónicos, solo quieren timarte.

Be careful with those emails, they just want to scam you.

Me timaron en el mercado; la fruta estaba podrida por dentro.

I got ripped off at the market; the fruit was rotten inside.

Le timaron mil euros con un anuncio de alquiler falso.

They swindled him out of a thousand euros with a fake rental ad.

Who is getting scammed?

When you use this word, the person being tricked is the 'direct receiver' of the action. This means you use pronouns like 'me,' 'te,' 'lo,' or 'la.' For example: 'Lo timaron' (They scammed him).

Talking about the amount

To mention how much someone was scammed, you usually don't need a special word in between. You can say 'Me timaron diez euros' (They scammed me ten euros).

Scamming 'from' someone

Mistake: “Me timaron cien euros de mi hermano.”

Correction: Timaron a mi hermano cien euros.

Estafar vs. Timar

Learners often confuse 'estafar' and 'timar'. While both mean to scam, 'estafar' is generally used for more serious or organized fraud, while 'timar' can cover more everyday trickery. Think of 'estafar' for major cons and 'timar' for smaller, more opportunistic scams.

Related Translations

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