Three-card monte, e.g.

The answer

SCAM

4 letters. See every clue for this answer on the SCAM answer page.

Used 12 times across 12 distinct years; most recently in 2025; first recorded in 1995. It appears in 7 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.

Other answers for this clue

The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.

• CON (2 uses in xd)
• CONGAME (1 uses in xd)
• RUSE (1 uses in xd)

Other clues for SCAM

Every other clue in this collection answered by SCAM, most used first.

• Con game - used 225 times, most recently in 2026
• Swindle - used 129 times, most recently in 2026
• Con job - used 72 times, most recently in 2026
• Racket - used 53 times, most recently in 2026
• Con - used 39 times, most recently in 2026
• Rip-off - used 39 times, most recently in 2026
• Ponzi scheme, e.g. - used 34 times, most recently in 2026
• Ponzi scheme - used 32 times, most recently in 2023
• Shell game - used 32 times, most recently in 2019
• Confidence game - used 27 times, most recently in 2026
• Fraudulent scheme - used 27 times, most recently in 2026
• Hustle - used 22 times, most recently in 2025
• Ripoff - used 22 times, most recently in 2022
• Hoodwink - used 21 times, most recently in 2026
• Fraud - used 20 times, most recently in 2026
• Sting - used 16 times, most recently in 2003
• Bamboozle - used 15 times, most recently in 2026
• Grifter's game - used 15 times, most recently in 2025
• Phony deal - used 14 times, most recently in 2025
• Flimflam - used 13 times, most recently in 2024
• Fraudulent operation - used 13 times, most recently in 2026
• Shady deal - used 13 times, most recently in 2024
• Shell game, e.g. - used 13 times, most recently in 2019
• Fleece - used 12 times, most recently in 2019
• Take for a ride - used 12 times, most recently in 2022
• Defraud - used 11 times, most recently in 2023
• Dishonest scheme - used 11 times, most recently in 2026
• Phishing, e.g. - used 11 times, most recently in 2024
• Pyramid scheme, e.g. - used 11 times, most recently in 2026
• Bogus offer - used 10 times, most recently in 2024
• Cheat - used 10 times, most recently in 2014
• Crooked deal - used 10 times, most recently in 2026
• Grifter's specialty - used 10 times, most recently in 2024
• Shady scheme - used 9 times, most recently in 2026
• Con artist's game - used 8 times, most recently in 2020
• Con man's con - used 8 times, most recently in 2024
• Fraudulent offer - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
• Ponzi scheme, for one - used 8 times, most recently in 2022
• Pyramid scheme, for one - used 8 times, most recently in 2019
• Fast one - used 7 times, most recently in 2023
• Money-losing proposition - used 7 times, most recently in 2019
• Phishing email, e.g. - used 7 times, most recently in 2026
• Sucker play - used 7 times, most recently in 2014
• Act of fraud - used 6 times, most recently in 2010
• Deception - used 6 times, most recently in 2023
• Fraudulent deal - used 6 times, most recently in 2023
• Pyramid scheme - used 6 times, most recently in 2024
• Swindler's scheme - used 6 times, most recently in 2026
• Telemarketing danger - used 6 times, most recently in 2009
• Too-good-to-be-true offer - used 6 times, most recently in 2026

Related clues

Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.

• Monopoly card - DEED, used 126 times
• Low card - TREY, used 101 times
• Card game - SKAT, used 99 times
• Card game for three - SKAT, used 98 times
• One of the Three Bears - PAPA, used 93 times
• One of the Three Bears - MAMA, used 91 times

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