swindle

1 a scheme in which the victim is cheated out of his money after first gaining his trust a swindle that involved selling a lot of land that really didn't exist

2 a swindle that involved selling a lot of land that really didn't exist an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time Synonyms bunco (or bunko), con, fiddle [chiefly British], flimflam, gyp, hustle, scam, shell game, sting, fraudRelated Words cross, fix; Ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme; racket, rip-off; thimblerig, three-card monte; device, dodge, gimmick, jig, ploy, scheme, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile; gouging, overcharging, soaking; counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony (also phoney), sham