Sham Very Common

something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

"The charity gala turned out to be just a sham, as all the donations went straight into the organizers' pockets instead of helping the homeless."

a person who makes deceitful pretenses

"The judge dismissed the lawyer as nothing more than a sham, revealing that he had never handled a single case in his entire career."

A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.

"We ordered a glass of champagne, but it turned out to be just sparkling water when we opened the bottle at home."

Champagne.

make a pretence of

"She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"

"he feigned sleep"

make believe with the intent to deceive

"He feigned that he was ill"

"He shammed a headache"

To deceive, cheat, lie.

"The politician was exposed as a sham who lied about his entire campaign record to trick voters."

adopted in order to deceive

"an assumed name"

"an assumed cheerfulness"

"a fictitious address"

"fictive sympathy"

"a pretended interest"

"a put-on childish voice"

"sham modesty"

Intended to deceive; false.

"The charity event turned out to be a sham when no money actually went to the victims of the disaster."

A surname​.

"The local historian noted that several prominent families in the region adopted the name Sham after migrating from Ireland."