flimflam

/ˌflɪmˈflæm/

Other forms: flimflammed; flimflamming; flimflams

A flimflam is a type of scam or con. If you're smart and savvy enough to recognize a flimflam, you won't get cheated out of your money.

When someone plans a complicated scheme for tricking people out of their property or money, it's a flimflam. Many flimflams are some version of a con, or "confidence game," in which the con artist first gains the trust (or "confidence") of the victim, and then swindles money from him. You can also use flimflam as a verb: "He tried to flimflam me out of my entire bank account."

Definitions of flimflam

1. noun

   (offensive) a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property
   synonyms: bunco, bunco game, bunko, bunko game, con, con game, confidence game, confidence trick, hustle, sting

   types:

   sting operation

   a complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care (especially an operation implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals)

   type of:

   cheat, rig, swindle

   the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme