confidence trick

British  

noun

1. Informal shortened forms: con trick.   con game.  a swindle involving money, goods, etc, in which the victim's trust is won by the swindler

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Example Sentences

It is essentially a confidence trick that influences a person to take action that may not be in their best interest.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2015

Illustration: Clifford Harper/Agraphia.co.uk Kate Atkinson's new novel is a marvel, a great big confidence trick – but one that invites the reader to take part in the deception.

From The Guardian • Mar. 6, 2013

“This report is a sham, this report is a whitewash, this report is a confidence trick dressed up as independent scrutiny and given invisible clothes of reliability,” she said.

From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2012

Arthur Ford-Batey, Alan Hunt and Ian Yorkshire were sentenced earlier at Norwich Crown Court Three men involved in an elaborate confidence trick in which a Christian philanthropist from Norfolk lost £12m have been jailed.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2012

Public speaking, like writing, is in many ways a confidence trick.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith