extortion -
The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.
The mafia would go to a store, and say "We will make sure your store doesn't burn down if you give us money every month", in an obvious act of extortion.
verb
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gouge -
To overcharge or swindle; also to use a sharp tool to remove inner material from something.
Someone who doesn't understand how cars work may be gouged by the mechanic when the bill comes.
verb
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swindle -
Use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions
Criminals have recently been swindling people by pretending to be IRS agents and demanding money.
verb
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bilk -
To take money from someone by cheating or tricking them.
The con men in the big city are always looking for naive out-of-towners in order to bilk them of the money they took with them for their big trip to the big town.
verb
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leech -
To habitually exploit or rely on
The loan shark would leech off of Frank's desperation with absurdly high interest rates.
verb
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pilfer -
To steal, especially in small quantities
People were outraged when they discovered that one of the congregants had been pilfering change from the charity boxes.
noun
See verb
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swindle -
A fraudulent scheme or action
Some people think that the government taxing them is its own sort of swindle.
noun
See verb
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leech -
A person who extorts profit from or sponges on others
Joan loved Barry, but because he never worked and just played video games all day, she was concerned that he was just a leech and didn't really love her in return.
noun
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crook -
A person who is dishonest or a criminal
The crook was caught red-handed by the police as he left the house he had just robbed.
verb
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rook -
To take money from someone by cheating, defrauding, or overcharging them
Customers tend to get rooked by companies who are able to price their products very high because of the brand name.
verb
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finagle -
To get something in an indirect or dishonest way.
Brad didn't have a ticket to the sold-out rock concert, but he figured he could finagle his way in somehow.
verb
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smuggle -
To move goods illegally into or out of a country
The border guards were always on the lookout for people trying to smuggle guns into the country.
