It’s a young word with obscure origins. But the fact that it’s so common shows just how ubiquitous fraud seems today.

Two men are heading to prison after the Department of Justice said they and 62 others defrauded millions of dollars from older Americans for two decades in a nationwide magazine subscription scheme.

A woman in France struck up what she thought was an online relationship with a famous actor. Only after she had sent over $850,000 to “Brad” did she discover she’d been duped by ...