fraudster / scammer
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fraudster / scammer
A person who intentionally deceives others in order to gain an unlawful advantage, usually a financial one.
Die Polizei warnt vor einer neuen Masche, mit der Betrüger am Telefon an Kontodaten gelangen wollen.
The police are warning about a new trick that scammers are using on the phone to try to get bank account details.
'Der Betrüger' (fraudster/scammer) belongs to a word family: the verb is 'betrügen' (to deceive/cheat), and the noun for the act is 'der Betrug' (fraud). The Betrüger is therefore the person who commits fraud.
Er hat versucht, mich beim Kartenspielen zu betrügen.
He tried to cheat me at cards.
There are fixed expressions for saying that you were deceived by a fraudster. Very common ones are 'auf einen Betrüger hereinfallen' (to fall for a scammer) or 'einem Betrüger zum Opfer fallen' (to fall victim to a fraudster).
Leider ist meine Großmutter auf einen Telefonbetrüger hereingefallen.
Unfortunately, my grandmother fell for a phone scammer.
The word 'Betrüger' (fraudster/scammer) is often combined with other nouns to describe the type of fraud more precisely. Examples are 'Internetbetrüger' (internet scammer), 'Telefonbetrüger' (phone scammer), or 'Heiratsbetrüger' (romance scammer).
Die Polizei warnt aktuell vor Internetbetrügern, die gefälschte E-Mails versenden.
The police are currently warning about internet scammers who send fake emails.
crook
Both words can refer to a person who deliberately deprives others of money or property. Betrüger is the neutral and precise term. Gauner sounds more colloquial and clearly derogatory, and can also refer more generally to a dishonest petty criminal.
Die Polizei sucht einen Betrüger, der mehrere ältere Menschen um ihr Geld gebracht hat.
The police are looking for a fraudster who has cheated several older people out of their money.
Dieser Gauner hat mehrere ältere Menschen um ihr Geld gebracht!
That crook has cheated several older people out of their money!
