Could you be a victim of online fraud?

Question 1

maiden [/ˈmeɪdn/]

Answer 1

literary a young girl, or a woman who is not married SYN damsel

Question 2

fraud [/frɔːd/]

Answer 2

1 [countable, uncountable] the crime of deceiving people in order to gain something such as money or goods
tax/insurance/credit card etc fraud
He’s been charged with tax fraud.
electoral fraud

2 [countable] someone or something that is not what they claim to be
I felt like a fraud.
The police exposed the letter as a fraud.

Question 3

give away []

Answer 3

1 to give something to someone because you do not want or need it for yourself
I gave most of my books away when I left college.
to
Give your old clothes away to a thrift shop.
2 to give something to someone without asking for any money, rather than selling it to them
We’re giving away a free diary with tomorrow’s newspaper.
to
We have 1,000 CDs to give away to our readers.
3 to show where someone is or what they are doing or thinking when they are trying to keep this a secret
Don’t worry, I won’t give you away.
Sue tried to smile, but her voice gave her away.
give yourself away
I knew that if I moved I would give myself away.
The look on his face gave the game away (=showed something that he was trying to keep secret).
4 to tell someone something that you should keep secret
He gave away as little information as possible.
I don’t want to give away exactly how the system works.
I don’t want to give the game away (=give information that should be secret) by saying too much.
5 to lose in a game or competition by doing something badly or making mistakes
We gave away two goals in the first half.
The Democrats are now in danger of giving the whole election away.
6 to give formal permission for a woman to marry a man as part of a traditional wedding ceremony

Question 4

deceptive [/dɪˈseptɪv/]

Answer 4

1 something that is deceptive seems to be one thing but is in fact very different
Some snakes move with deceptive speed (=move faster than you think or expect).
Gwen’s students may look angelic, but appearances can be deceptive.

2 intended to make someone believe something that is not true
misleading and deceptive adverts
deceptive practices

Question 5

theft [/θeft/]

Answer 5

[uncountable] the crime of stealing → thief, burglary, robbery
Car theft is on the increase.
an arrest for petty theft (=stealing small things)

2 [countable] an act of stealing something
There have been a number of thefts in the area.
theft of
the theft of £150 from the office

Question 6

regard [/rɪˈɡɑːd/]

Answer 6

1 ADMIRATION/RESPECT [uncountable] respect and admiration for someone or something
regard for
Jan’s regard for his great talent
Burt had high regard for his old law professor, Dr. Finch (=he respected him a lot).

2 ATTENTION/CONSIDERATION [uncountable] formal attention or consideration that is shown towards someone or something
regard for
She has no regard for other people’s feelings.
pay/show regard
One must show proper regard for the law.

Question 7

relatively [/ˈrelətɪvli/]

Answer 7

something that is relatively small, easy etc is fairly small, easy etc compared to other things
The system is relatively easy to use.
E-commerce is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Question 8

fraudster [/ˈfrɔːdstə/]

Answer 8

someone who has committed a fraud

Question 9

defraud [/dɪˈfrɔːd/]

Answer 9

to trick a person or organization in order to get money from them
defraud somebody of something
She defrauded her employers of thousands of pounds.
He faces charges of theft and conspiracy to defraud (=a secret plan to cheat someone, made by two or more people).

Question 10

retention [/rɪˈtenʃən/]

Answer 10

1 formal the act of keeping something
retention of
The UN will vote on the retention of sanctions against Iraq.

2 technical the ability or tendency of something to hold liquid, heat etc within itself
Many people with heart problems suffer from fluid retention.

3 the ability to keep something in your memory
I have a real problem with retention of information.

Question 11

scheme [/skiːm/]

Answer 11

1 British English an official plan that is intended to help people in some way, for example by providing education or training SYN program American English
The money will be used for teacher training schemes.
a pension scheme
scheme for
schemes for two new cross-city lines
scheme to do something
a new scheme to boost exports
pilot scheme (=something that is done on a small scale in order to see if it is successful enough to be done on a larger scale)
The pilot scheme proved to be a great success.

2 a clever plan, especially to do something that is bad or illegal – used to show disapproval
a get-rich-quick scheme
scheme to do something
a scheme to pass false cheques

Question 12

schematic [/skiːˈmætɪk,/]

Answer 12

showing the main parts of something in a simple way

a schematic diagram of DNA

Question 13

fund []

Answer 13

[countable] an amount of money that is collected and kept for a particular purpose
The fund was set up to try to save the cathedral.

Question 14

fraudulent [/ˈfrɔːdjələnt/]

Answer 14

intended to deceive people in an illegal way, in order to gain money, power etc
a fraudulent insurance claim
a fraudulent statement

Question 15

ethical [/ˈeθɪkəl/]

Answer 15

relating to principles of what is right and wrong SYN moral
ethical issues/questions/problems
The use of animals in scientific tests raises difficult ethical questions.
The president must have the highest ethical standards.1

2 morally good or correct OPP unethical
I don’t think it’s ethical for you to accept a job you know you can’t do.
ethical investment policies (=investing only in businesses that are considered morally acceptable)

Question 16

combat [/ˈkɒmbæt/]

Answer 16

[uncountable] fighting, especially during a war
in combat
Corporal Gierson was killed in combat.
We flew over 200 combat missions.

Question 17

spot [/spɒt/]

Answer 17

1 PLACE a particular place or area, especially a pleasant place where you spend time
a nice quiet spot on the beach

3 MARK a small mark on something, especially one that is made by a liquid
There was a big damp spot on the wall.
spot of
a few spots of blood

4 ON SKIN
a) a small round red area on someone’s skin that shows that they are ill
He had a high fever and was covered in spots.
b) British English a small raised red mark on someone’s skin, especially on their face SYN pimple
Becka was very self-conscious about her spots.

8 POSITION a position in a list of things or in a competition
The budget has a regular spot on the agenda.
in a spot
Manchester United are still in the top spot after today’s win.

Question 18

intelligence [/ɪnˈtelədʒəns/]

Answer 18

the ability to learn, understand, and think about things
To be good at the game, you need a reasonable level of intelligence.
high/low intelligence
John showed high intelligence from an early age.

information about the secret activities of foreign governments, the military plans of an enemy etc
According to our intelligence, further attacks were planned.

a group of people or an organization that gathers this information for their government
intelligence agencies/services etc
In Britain there are three main intelligence organizations.
US Military Intelligence

Question 19

accountant [/əˈkaʊntənt/]

Answer 19

someone whose job is to keep and check financial accounts, calculate taxes etc

Question 20

perspective [/pəˈspektɪv/]

Answer 20

[countable] a way of thinking about something, especially one which is influenced by the type of person you are or by your experiences → viewpoint
perspective on
His father’s death gave him a whole new perspective on life.

[uncountable] a sensible way of judging and comparing situations so that you do not imagine that something is more serious than it really is
I think Viv’s lost all sense of perspective.
The figures have to be put into perspective.
get/keep something in perspective (=judge the importance of something correctly)

Question 21

unwittingly [/ʌnˈwɪtɪŋli/]

Answer 21

in a way that shows you do not know or realize something SYN unknowingly
Friedmann had unwittingly broken the law.

Question 22

breach [/briːtʃ/]

Answer 22

[countable, uncountable] an action that breaks a law, rule, or agreement
breach of
This was a clear breach of the 1994 Trade Agreement.
They sued the company for breach of contract.

a serious disagreement between people, groups, or countries
breach with
Britain did not want to risk a breach with the US over sanctions.

Question 23

infiltrate [/ˈɪnfɪltreɪt/]

Answer 23

[intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to secretly join an organization or enter a place in order to find out information about it or harm it
Police attempts to infiltrate neo-Nazi groups were largely unsuccessful.

Question 24

profitable [/ˈprɒfətəbəl/]

Answer 24

producing a profit or a useful result OPP unprofitable
The advertising campaign proved very profitable.
a highly profitable business
a profitable afternoon

Question 25

pretend [/prɪˈtend/]

Answer 25

to behave as if something is true when in fact you know it is not, in order to deceive people or for fun
pretend (that)
We can’t go on pretending that everything is OK.
Let’s pretend we’re on the Moon.
pretend to do something
She pretended not to notice.
He’s not asleep – he’s just pretending.

Question 26

occasion [/əˈkeɪʒən/]

Answer 26

1 TIME
a) [countable] a time when something happens
on … occasions
I’ve seen Jana with them on several occasions.
On this occasion we were sitting in a park in Madrid.
She had met Zahid on two separate occasions.
b) [singular] a suitable or favourable time
occasion for
This was the occasion for expressions of friendship by the two presidents.

► Do not use occasion to mean ‘a time when it is possible for you to do what you want to do’. Use opportunity or chance: Do not waste this opportunity (NOT this occasion).► see thesaurus at time

2 SPECIAL EVENT [countable] an important social event or ceremony
I’m saving this bottle of champagne for a special occasion.

Question 27

devious [/ˈdiːviəs/]

Answer 27

1 using dishonest tricks and deceiving people in order to get what you want → deceitful
a devious politician
Modern fraudsters are so devious at collecting online information that many victims only realise what’s happened after their bank accounts have been emptied.
► see thesaurus at dishonest

2 formal not going in the most direct way to get to a place SYN circuitous
a devious route

Question 28

better safe than sorry []

better (to be) safe than sorry

Answer 28

used to say that it is better to be careful, even if this takes time, effort etc, than take a risk that may have a bad result
Set the alarm clock – better safe than sorry!

Question 29

mentality [/menˈtæləti/]

Answer 29

a particular attitude or way of thinking, especially one that you think is wrong or stupid
a get-rich-quick mentality
I can’t understand the mentality of the people who are behind this kind of violence.

Question 30

surreptitious [/ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs◂/]

Answer 30

done secretly or quickly because you do not want other people to notice
Rory tried to sneak a surreptitious glance at Adam’s wristwatch.

Question 31

clerk [/klɑːk]

Answer 31

1 someone who keeps records or accounts in an office
a clerk in a commercial firm

2 American English someone whose job is to help people in a shop
the clerk in the shoe store

3 American English someone whose job is to help people when they arrive at and leave a hotel
Leave the keys with the desk clerk.

4 an official in charge of the records of a court, town council etc

Question 32

pose [/pəʊz/]

Answer 32

1 CAUSE PROBLEM [transitive] to exist in a way that may cause a problem, danger, difficulty etc
pose a threat/danger/risk
Officials claim the chemical poses no real threat.
pose something to/for somebody/something
The events pose a challenge to the church’s leadership.
Rising unemployment is posing serious problems for the administration.

2 PICTURE [intransitive] to sit or stand in a particular position in order to be photographed or painted, or to make someone do this
pose for
We posed for photographs.

Question 33

look no further []

Answer 33

used to say that something you are offering is exactly what someone has been trying to find
Want a quiet country retreat for your weekend break? Then look no further!