con artist; confidence trickster; credit fraudster
Slang term for a person or company that engages in fraud, especially credit fraud or swindling. The word パクリ comes from the mimetic ぱくる (to snatch, to steal, to rip off), and 屋 is a suffix for a person or shop. Often used in news or informal contexts.
あの会社はパクリ屋だという噂がある。
There's a rumor that that company is a fraud outfit.
パクリ屋に引っかからないよう
Be careful not to get taken in by a con artist.
Derived from the mimetic verb ぱくる (to snatch, to steal, to rip off) + the suffix 屋 (person or shop). The exact origin of ぱくる is uncertain, but it is likely sound-symbolic, evoking a quick, grabbing motion.