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/Sounds like "KWEHN" (as in "quest") + "toh" (as in "toll") + "DEHL" (as in "debt") + "TEE" (as in "tea") + "oh" (as in "oh")/

Meaning

A classic scam where someone convinces a victim there's a family member or acquaintance in trouble to extract money. The uncle scam is as old as deception itself, and somehow it keeps working.

Examples

They called her with the uncle scam and she lost all her savings.

Watch out for the uncle scam, it's a common fraud.

Regional synonyms
Bandera de México
Tramoya

Small colorful glass balls used in a classic childhood game where players flick them to knock opponents' marbles out of a circle. Playing canicas is a generational tradition across Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, the kind of game you learned from an older kid in the schoolyard and passed down yourself.