Phrasal Verbs about Crime and Scam
- To Prey On/Upon
Meaning: to take advantage of somebody, to take advantage of the neediest in society
Example:
The scammers preyed on the need of the German government to purchase protective masks for their population. Thankfully, they didn’t get away with the money.
to prey on the lonely
to prey on elderly people
Example:
Scammers who preyed on the elderly were jailed for 6 years.
- To Rip Off
Meaning: to charge someone significantly more than the value of the product that you’re offering or selling
Example:
The face value of the tickets was 50 euro, and we got them for 300 euro. We’ve been completely ripped off, they don’t have that value.
I paid my money, but the service was terrible. I have been ripped off.
We can also use it as a noun – A RIP-OFF
Wow, that was a ripoff.
- To Fall For Something
Meaning: to be conned, to be tricked into believing something false
Example:
She felt so guilty and foolish that she fell for their tricks and transferred money to them.
Don’t fall for that trick. A lot of people have been caught out.
Of course, we can also use it in a nice way
To Fall For Someone
Meaning: to be very attracted to someone
- To Take In
To Be Taken In By Someone
Meaning: to persuade someone against their judgement to part with their money
Example:
I was almost taken in by that scam last week. Just finally, at the last minute, there was something I had a good feeling that told me I shouldn’t. So I deleted it.
- To Hand Over
Meaning: to give something to somebody, usually cash or personal details
Example:
The man handed over cash after he was confronted by a mugger.
- To Get Away With Something
Meaning: to escape, to avoid punishment
Example:
Scammers managed to get away with millions of euro, using a very sophisticated scam.
We cannot let them get away with this. We have to stop them.
- To Watch Out
Meaning: to keep your eyes open for possible dangers, to stay vigilant
Example:
Watch out for people trying to be your bank or pretending to be your bank. Never, ever give your bank details.
And then finally, when we’re dealing with scams
- To Find Out
Meaning: to discover some facts or information
Example:
Six months later he found out that he was scammed, but he was too embarrassed to complain to the police.
