skim
verb [ T ]
uk/skɪm/ us-mm- (also skim off) FINANCE, TAX
to steal money from an account, budget, etc. over a period of time in amounts that cannot be easily noticed:
skim sth from sth The defendants were accused of skimming money from a multimillion-dollar construction project.
During the lifetime of their company the defendants skimmed off more than €5.5 million.
IT
to steal someone's credit card details using electronic equipment, in order to use their account illegally:
More than $98m of total bank fraud was taken by criminals using bank cards that had been skimmed.
skim the market
MARKETING
to charge a high price for a new product in order to make as much profit as possible before other similar products become available and prices fall:
Marketers might choose to skim the market to position their brand as a luxury good.