Refers to a dishonest scheme or trick to cheat someone out of money or property. Often used in compounds like ペテン師 (swindler).
from Chinese bēngzi
He fell for a scam and lost a large sum of money.
That man is a swindler, so be careful.
Hiragana spelling is also used.
Likely from Chinese 騙子 (bēngzi), meaning swindler or fraud. The exact derivation is uncertain, but the word entered Japanese as a colloquial term for trickery.