Two Maryland men are charged with running a scheme in which they purported to make fake currency, but instead stole money from their would-be accomplice.

Court documents say the two men orchestrated a gambit known as a “black money” scam. In such scams, the perpetrators pretend to manufacture counterfeit money, but instead use a sleight of hand to avoid revealing that no fake bills were made and to steal money from a participant in the scam.