Grifts

/ɡrɪfts/ noun

Definition

Plural of grift; multiple swindles, frauds, or confidence games used to cheat people out of money.

Etymology

From American underworld slang 'grift' (early 1900s), possibly from German 'greifen' or carnival workers' argot, with the plural '-s' suffix.

Kelly Says

Organized crime researchers noticed that grifts follow repeating patterns—the same basic con schemes have been used for centuries with only minor variations, showing that human psychology is remarkably consistent.

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