I can see a dreadful mistake in logic I am afraid . . I am moved enough to write.
Like an oak tree is an oak . . from acorn to fully grown tree . . it is all oakness . . 100% . . even if it is struck by a bolt of lightning and it's life is made short.
So, likewise . . a confidence game, a fraudulent scheme, a scam . . it matters not one little bit that it did not come to bear fruit.
I have to agree with jepoyeng . . it was rather a shallow remark . . but I do not laugh, as this topic is quite sinister, so why are people splitting hairs about semantics?