History Main / NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught

Compare CantYouReadTheSign and DoWrongRight. Sometimes the villain in WhatYouAreInTheDark, or the foolhardly fellow teenager in YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb urges this trope to encourage something actually wrong. An {{invoked}} form of ScrewTheRulesTheyreNotReal, in that the rules are set up to encourage people to break them ''skillfully''.

* ''Cliff's Notes'' and other study guides, both print and online, are frowned upon by academia; students may just read those instead of their [[UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia assigned texts]]. Some schools and universities have gone far enough to ask bookstores and libraries not to carry these guides; some have even banned their use by students completely. Understandably, this is difficult, if not outright impossible, to enforce.

* Al Bundy says as much in an episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' where Al enters himself in an athletic competition for senior citizens. When he's standing victoriously on the podium and holding his medals, he says, "It's only cheating if you get caught."

* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaParadiseLost'': In Chapter 4, [[spoiler:Kenji bribes Monokuma]] into helping them set up the circumstances that lead to that chapter's murder. After this is exposed, Monokuma makes clear that they would have let them get away with it so long as they weren't caught. But since they were, the KillerTeddyBear punishes them by [[spoiler:stabbing them several times, including once [[EyeScream in the eye]], before leaving them for dead]].

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', the Foxy Pirates take this one step further. It's only cheating if the ''referee'' catches you, and since the [[EasilyDistractedReferee referee]] is a member of the Foxy Pirates...

%%If you have time, please take time to put examples in alphabetical order. This page Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings should help you with that.

* In the third chapter of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Ed transmutes waste into gold, claiming that: ''"If we don't get caught, we won't get caught."'' Immediately afterward, he double-crosses his accomplice by reversing the transmutation; since the transmuted gold was a bribe of shady legality, the person he gave it to can't report Ed for swindling him without admitting his own corruption.
* Used very darkly in ''Manga/{{Gals}}'': a [[PaedoHunt pedophile]] teacher is harassing one of Sayo's friends, using ImAManICantHelpIt as an excuse. When the girl calls him out on his immorality, the teacher smugly answers that in modern society, all that counts is keeping up a respectable appearance and if nobody has proof that he committed a crime, he didn't commit a crime. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for him, Sayo was hiding nearby [[CaughtOnTape with a recorder in her hands.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** Eric Cartman once posed as a teacher for a bunch of hooligan teens. Instead of teaching them all that normal stuff, he taught them to cheat on tests. [[ShoutOut While dressed as Edward James Olmos]] in ''Stand and Deliver''. [[BeamMeUpScotty "How do I reach these keeeds!?"]] And to top it off, he continually referenced [[TakeThat Bill Belichek and the 2007 Patriots]], claiming that the moral of that situation was ''not'' "Don't cheat" - but rather "If you got to where you were by cheating, ''keep cheating''!"
** In "Sexual Healing", Butters and Kyle attend a class to "cure" themselves of their sex addictions (as the WHO named it a disease after many reports of celebrities' infidelities hit the news), but the class doesn't aim to cure their addictions but rather teaches them ways to prevent themselves from getting caught.
** In a similar joke in an earlier episode, Father Maxi, the town's priest, travels to Rome to attend a conference on what to do about the problem of child molesters in the clergy. The other clergymen center the talks around [[BlackComedy finding ways to keep the molested children from coming forward]]. When Maxi suggests that a better solution would be ''to not molest children'', he is laughed at.
* Megatron once tried doing this against Optimus Prime in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' episode "Heavy Metal War"; he challenges Optimus to a duel of honor, with the loser exiling themselves, only to use a machine to transfer his underlings' powers into him and sending the Constructicons out to destroy the Autobots' computer, so it wouldn't be able to warn them of the duplicity. It doesn't work, in the end, but Optimus did completely miss the obvious signs of cheating on Megs' part during the battle.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'', Lars points out a shortcut to Pi in a street luge race where nobody will see him while he's off the course, stating that "it's only cheating if you get caught." Otto overhears and takes said shortcut, doesn't get caught, and wins the race.
* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Buck Strickland hits his golf ball into a rough patch, and "trips" over it, knocking it back onto the green. When Bobby, his caddie, asks if it's cheating, he replies, "Ain't no law 'gainst bein' clumsy. 'Less you get caught." Later, after he makes another bad, far-off shot, he orders Bobby to go find the ball, slipping him a golf ball and whispering, "Find it someplace good."

* Actively part of the fluff in ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl''. Refs can be bribed to not call illegal play, may not see the illegal play, or may be too afraid of the crowd's reaction to call anything.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Chess}}'':
** Heidenfeld - Kerins, Dublin 1973. White castled twice, even though this is flagrantly against the rules, which state that a player can only castle if neither the king nor the rook has moved before. Amazingly, Black let this stand, and Tim Krabbé has [[http://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/records/ actually listed the match as a record]] (scroll down to "greatest number of castlings"), even though that move would never fly if both sides were paying attention.
* ''TabletopGame/{{BattleCON}}'' has the bonus character Mark PTO, who has cheating as a passive ability. Getting caught doesn't actually stop the cheating, instead the opponent figures out what you changed by cheating, then it gets undone.

* Unhinged, one of the joke sets for ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has a card called [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74306 Cheatyface,]] which you're allowed to put into play for free as long as your opponent doesn't catch you doing it.

* The entire premise of the card game known varyingly as Cheat, BS, or I Doubt It. You put down a certain number of cards in a matching set (such as two aces or three kings) face down onto a pile, declaring what they are, while everyone else watches and either leaves you be or calls you out for cheating. The idea is to get rid of all your cards in your hand before anyone else does, and it is possible to cheat by dropping down cards you didn't call (such as saying you dropped two aces when they were really a 6 and a 9). If you are called out while you cheat, you have to pick up the whole pile for cheating, but if you ''weren't'' cheating when they called you out, ''they'' have to pick the pile up. It is very much possible to cheat without anyone calling you out on it so long as you don't make it painfully obvious (such as dropping 5 queens, or a card someone else has all 4 of), and in fact, frequently required since passing is not allowed (at least in the standard version - variants that allow passing exist).
** People are divided as to whether or not (or to what extent) you are allowed to cheat otherwise. One school of thought is that since it's the name of the game, you should cheat as much as possible by hiding cards or playing more cards than you declare so you can't be caught cheating. The other school allows only cheating in the predefined method.
* In general, any card game that has a specific rule against cheating is really saying this trope. To catch someone cheating, you must accurately describe their cheating action, or be penalized yourself for a false accusation.
* In Euchre, there is a significant advantage to being the dealer. Normally, the deal passes to the left after each hand, but the dealer's partner (or in cutthroat, any player) may gather the cards and ''attempt'' to shuffle and deal. If they're caught ''before they finish,'' they have to pass the deck to the proper dealer, but once the deal is complete, the hand must be played.
* In UNO!, you are not allowed to play a Wild Draw Four card unless you have no cards in your hand of the color ''OR THE NUMBER'' of the faceup card on the table. Attempt to do so, and you won't be penalized unless another player calls you for it. (Which they sometimes do just to look at your hand.) Even better, the challenger can be penalized for an improper challenge.

* Certain cards in TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}} allow you to cheat in plain view of the other players. The rules themselves cite this. Out-and-out ''cheating'', however, such as having too many cards in hand or playing a card you're not allowed to play, is not allowed: Munchkins ''bend'' the rules, but they don't ''break'' them.
* ''Coup'' uses this as a game mechanic, combined with bluffing. Each player has two cards, representing their abilities[[note]]the Assassin, for example, allows you to pay 3 credits to attack another player; the Contessa allows you to block an Assassination attempt; and so on[[/note]]. However, the cards are hidden from view, and as a result, you can ''claim'' that your two cards are any other card in the game. If, on the other hand, you ''claim'' to have a card and you're called out on it[[note]]"I'm going to pay 3 credits and assassinate you." "I don't believe you have an assassin, prove it."[[/note]], someone is going to be upset: if you can back up your claim, then the person that challenged you loses one of their cards (losing both cards means you lose the game), but if you ''can't'' back up your claim, ''you'' lose a card. This can result in standoffs, where one person initiates an action and another person blocks it by claiming they have a card: should the first person accept the block, or demand proof of the other person's claim? Good players can bluff and keep people guessing about their cards the whole game. ''Great'' players can claim they have ''all five cards'' in their two-card hand and succeed on sheer audacity and grit.

* In ''FanFic/ThisBites'', the Straw Hats take massive advantage of this during the Davy Back Fight. After all, it can't be proven they're responsible for the mass of fog and heavy wind that covered the field just before the second round, or that they beat the hell out of the Groggy Monsters under the cover of said fog.
* Dario in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' firmly believes in this. [[CheatersNeverProsper Not that it helps him, though.]]
* ''[[Fanfic/TheManyDatesOfDannyFenton Danny and Kara]]'': Mr. Lancer usually overlooks Dash's bullying because Dash is a football star, but not when a victim threatens to have it published at the Daily Planet.

* In the movie ''Film/SpiesLikeUs'' one of the two "heroes" (to use the term loosely) managed to pressure the other into helping him cheat on their government promotion tests, through good, old-fashioned Chevy Chase-style chutzpah. When discovered, in order to cover themselves, they worked together by reflex to cover each other. The CIA test givers were so impressed that they gave them an immediate promotion to field agents. (Of course, this was a plot to throw expendable agents into the field as a diversion for more nefarious activities ... but the trope connection is solid.)

* In Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/TortallUniverse'' books, Pages and Squires train at the Palace. One of the rules is "don't get into fights". Of course, pages and squires fight all the time (and are caught, given the resulting injuries), but the traditional excuse is "[[CutHimselfShaving I fell down]]". When "[[Literature/SongOfTheLioness Alan]]" is being bullied on a regular basis and learns a less-honorable style of fighting to beat the bully, they are read the riot act. Except not, because their teacher is secretly glad the bully was dealt with and the protagonist reflects on this rule as they are being told off.

* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', it is technically illegal to train children to participate in the Games and have them volunteer to take the place of whoever gets chosen by lottery. Regardless, the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 are always what are called "Career Tributes". The Capitol seems [[SelectiveObliviousness to ignore this]] because it makes for a more entertaining show.
* In Creator/RaymondEFeist and Creator/JannyWurts's Empire trilogy, part of ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'', betrayal and assassination among rivals in the major Houses is almost never punished by the law unless the perpetrator was crass enough to be obvious about it. And being able to engineer a rival's demise by exploiting law and custom rather than just ignoring it will earn you the quiet admiration of your peers.
* The Drow (see Tabletop Games below) deserve a mention here as well since R. A. Salvatore's [[Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy Drizzt]] books did a lot to codify that picture of their society. A quote from ''Homeland'' sums things up quite nicely: "Only twenty-two of the original twenty-five in Drizzt's class remained. One had been dismissed -- and subsequently executed -- for a foiled assassination attempt on a higher-ranking student, a second had been killed in the practice arena, and a third had died in his bunk of natural causes -- for a dagger in the heart quite naturally ends one's life."
* A text by Brazilian author Creator/LuisFernandoVerissimo has a honeymoon couple playing paper ''Tabletopgame/{{Battleship}}''. Once the man fails to strike her aircraft carrier a second time, he finds out the wife ''split the carrier into five pieces and spread it across the board''. The result is a divorce...
* Sigurd makes this suggestion to Hal in ''Literature/{{Brotherband}}''. Hal is severely undermanned and takes his advice to win the competition.
* In ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', it's mentioned that Saganami Island Naval Academy's computer network has a backdoor that allows enterprising students access to a restricted tactical database for study. Getting caught isn't punished (a student brings up a restricted battle report to Honor during one of her classes), but the instructors on the Island quietly keep track of the backdoor's access log and look favorably on students who are sharp enough to find the backdoor and study the restricted materials.
* There's a warped version of the ''Literature/TheTortoiseAndTheHare'' where the tortoise goes up against a cocky deer who makes fun of him for being slow. So the tortoise challenges the deer to a race and enlists the help of his ''many'' identical brothers who hide all along the way and make the deer believe the tortoise is constantly overtaking him.

* Theoretically, anything a team on ''Series/ScrapheapChallenge''[=/=]''Junkyard Wars'' brings back to their lot is theirs for keeps. Yeah, right...unless the other team steals it, in which case the hosts and thieves have a laugh at the victimized team's expense.

* In an episode of ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'', Luka and Joe are disguised as {{Mooks}} and Luka is cleaning house by cheating at poker. When the enemy commander catches them, he challenges them to a game for their freedom. When he starts dealing, he's very blatantly cheating but gets away with it since all of his minions are vouching that "nothing happened". In the end, it seems that Joe won even with all of the cards stacked against him. [[spoiler:It's revealed at the end of the episode that Luka swapped the decks while everyone was distracted to set Joe up with the winning hand]].

* Tool's song "Jerk Off" summarizes the mentality explicitly:
-->"If consequences dictate our course of action then it doesn't matter what's right, it's only wrong if you get caught."

* Averted in ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily''; if you get a ball into the Vault while the Bookcase is closed (typically an impossible feat), the game compliments you for cheating.

* One of the scenario ideas in ''TabletopGame/GURPSIlluminatiUniversity'', set in a very peculiar university, involves the final exam for the Advanced Cheating class. The questions are just random obscure trivia; the actual test is finding a good way to cheat in it. If you get caught, you fail. If you don't even ''try'' to cheat, you'll be expelled for "terminal cluelessness." The difficulty to this being, of course, proving that someone did ''not'' cheat.

* ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest V'': At the very beginning of the game, you have to get a perfect score on a multiple-choice exam of unusual questions. Luckily, you can look at another test-taker's answers as long as you don't let the resident anti-cheating robot see you.
* In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'', there's a minigame where you have to train a scrawny man's skills so he can beat a musclehead in a duel. You get disqualified only if anyone ''sees'' you interfere with the fight itself. Trick is that Zig only looks away after a CriticalHit, so you can't just rush in after one session of training. That said, you can also train up the scrawny man so well that he's capable of legitimately [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomping]] Zig on his own.

* The developers of ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar 2'' have a philosophy that a good A.I. opponent [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard can cheat]] (otherwise they're too easy), but a ''great'' A.I. opponent can cheat without the player noticing.

* A number of strongly forbidden behaviors in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' are tacitly acknowledged to the point that the real crime seems to be doing them ''sloppily'', such as students spying on Castle Wulfenbach, Jägers sneaking into Mechanicsburg (where they're forbidden until the Heterodyne gets the castle under control), and nobles being resurrected (which formally results in [[LegallyDead loss of all titles and permanent ineligibility]]).
-->'''Gil:''' My father doesn't choose to ''play'' by ''their rules''. But he ''knows'' them. And, every so often, some blueblood succumbs to the lure of resurrection -- and then ''desperately'' hopes nobody ''finds out''. But my father ''always does''.

* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'': [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/1132 Trying to convince himself.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2300/fc02279.htm Sam thinks life in general works like this, since you get punished for getting caught.]]
* Billy pulls this in the second magic lesson of ''Webcomic/{{morphE}}''. In order to get a phone call to his loved ones all seedlings need to successfully defeat a training dummy using magic and, as a group, banish a spirit. When Asia is struggling to cast on her dummy, Billy knocks it down while Amical is discussing Asia's difficulties with his henchmen. Asia is outraged that Billy would do this and Billy's response is that as long as Amical thinks they won the bet, they won the bet. The specifics don't change the outcome.

** Notably Elizabeth gets burned by this twice. The first time is not only are the rules more like "guidelines" but even if they were strictly enforced, she's not a pirate and thus not eligible for any protections the rules grant her. But as demonstrated by Barbossa because the rules aren't binding, that doesn't mean he can't negotiate with Elizabeth as if the code applied to her, which he did, and [[LiteralGenie he proceeds to do exactly what she requests of him and nothing more.]] Later, when she tries to argue against leaving Jack Sparrow behind, she points out that the Code is a guideline and not rules. Unfortunately, [[HilarityEnsues she forgot that there's nothing in the code saying you can't treat the code as exact rules.]]

* ''Manga/TimeStopBrave'': Kuzuno Sekai uses his TimeStandsStill ability to interfere with a volleyball tournament to make sure his friends win. Some of his friends find out what he is doing and call him out, but he says that since no one else notices and would not be able to prove it if they did, he'll be fine. He later finds out another team is cheating by having an invisible girl interfere with the ball similar to what he was doing [[SeeTheInvisible by noticing her footprints on the sand and splashes oil on her]] to get that team disqualified.

* In Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories, a Belter (asteroid belt miner) who's never been busted for smuggling will get looked down upon by his peers--because it might mean he's never ''tried''.

* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Torg is forced into a parody of the Tri-Wizard Tournament from ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', despite having no magical ability whatsoever. So, when faced with the task of defeating a [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20080407 giant, sword-wielding chicken]], he interprets the rule saying "be resourceful and use the tools around you" to mean he can lift a magic-user out of the stands, point her at the chicken, and let ''her'' kill it. And if that fails, he's still got Plan B, yelling, "''[[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20080410 Eat her! I'm old and stringy!]]''"

* One of the scenario ideas in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS IOU}}'', set in a very peculiar university, involves the final exam for the Advanced Cheating class. The questions are just random obscure trivia; the actual test is finding a good way to cheat in it. If you get caught, you fail. If you don't even ''try'' to cheat, you'll be expelled for "terminal cluelessness." The difficulty to this being, of course, proving that someone did ''not'' cheat.

* In ''Anime/{{Charlotte}}'', he got away with it for quite a while, but Yu eventually falls under the suspicion of cheating. To make matters worse for him, Nao has him on camera cheating. He runs off in a panic but is caught by Joujirou, who has SuperSpeed.

-->"Janet told him many times, 'It was ''you'' to ''me'' who taught in Jersey everything's legal as long as you don't get caught."

-->'''Gil:''' My father doesn't choose to ''play'' by ''their rules''. But he ''knows'' them. And, every so often, some blueblood succumbs to the lure of resurrection -- and then ''desperately'' hope nobody ''finds out''. But my father ''always does''.