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estafa

fraud

noun es-TAH-fah Rare

Also means

scam

Usage Note

Estafa is the standard legal term for fraud or a con scheme in Spanish law (delito de estafa). The related verb estafar means 'to defraud or swindle'. Timo is a near-synonym but more colloquial and often implies a smaller-scale trick. Fraude is broader (tax fraud, electoral fraud).

Examples

"Fue víctima de una estafa bancaria."

Natural Translation

She was the victim of a banking fraud.

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