He was arrested for obtaining money under false pretences.
pretence of friendship
Frequency:
50
%
She greeted him with a pretence of friendship, but he knew she was just being polite.
Idiomatic Expressions for pretence
Phrase: keep up appearances
Meaning: to maintain a false or misleading outward show of a particular quality or situation
Usage: Despite their financial troubles, they tried to keep up appearances by hosting extravagant parties.