Financial Fraud Vocabulary

noun a man who engages in confidence tricks

• The authorities were able to track down the notorious con man and bring him to justice.
• I heard that Joe is a real con man, always trying to scam people out of their money.
• Watch out for that con man, he's been known to pull some shady deals.
• She's a con man when it comes to getting what she wants, always manipulating situations in her favor.

noun a trick or deception

verb to waste time in aimless or foolish activity

• The musician was accused of diddling the melody in his performance.
• I caught my little brother trying to diddle with my phone.
• Stop diddling around and get to work!
• The company's CEO was caught diddling with the financial records.

noun The act of producing a fake or fraudulent copy of something, such as a document or signature

• The suspect was charged with forgery after attempting to pass counterfeit bills at the bank.
• I heard that someone got caught for forgery at the store down the street.
• Don't mess with forgery, it's serious business.
• His smile was like a forgery, fake and insincere.

noun the act of taking something that does not belong to you

• The police are investigating the theft of valuable artwork from the museum.
• Did you hear about the theft at the jewelry store last night?
• I can't believe he got away with that theft!
• His constant lying is a theft of trust in our relationship.

verb to treat someone unfairly or dishonestly; to betray or deceive someone

• The company's decision to outsource production ended up screwing over many local workers.
• I can't believe he tried to screw me over by taking credit for my work.
• She really screwed me over by spreading rumors about me behind my back.
• His betrayal felt like a knife in the back, like he was intentionally trying to screw me over.