pious fraud
Noun
Meaning
An act of innocent deceit, technically using the methods of a fraudster but for an honest, honorable purpose.
White lies are verbal cases of pious fraud.
A person involved in such a fraud.
Source: en.wiktionary.orgSynonyms
Examples
The Marxians love of democratic institutions was a stratagem only, a pious fraud for the deception of the masses. Within a socialist community there is no room left for freedom.
Nietzsche discovered the clue to esotericism early ... "The fact of the pious fraud.”.
It is with a pious fraud as with a bad action it begets a calamitous necessity of going on.