Odysseus
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| Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:36 pm
Post subject: Re: Fraud, scam, and hoax? |
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jeh953 wrote:
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Fraud and scam and hoax have similar meanings. But I heard that these
words have a point of difference. What is a point of difference between
fraud, scam, and hoax? Can you tell me an example for each?
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They do overlap, especially when used loosely or figuratively.
"Fraud" is probably the most comprehensive of the three, as it can
refer to pretty well any kind of deliberate deception. It's the term
used in criminal law. "Scam" is rather colloquial, and although
fairly broad in scope it connotes a more elaborate deception than
e.g. writing a bad cheque; it's most often applied to confidence
tricks ("cons" for short) and get-rich-quick schemes. "Hoax" suggests
an intent to deceive for its own sake, or for political or
ideological purposes, more than for material gain: famous examples
include _The Protocols of the Elders of Zion_ and "Piltdown Man".
--
Odysseus |
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