Proving yet once again that humans are closely related to monkeys, new research reveals that our furry relatives are just as capable of deception as we are.

Researchers call it ‘tactical deception’, a fancy phrase for what is more commonly known as ‘cheating’. When the scientists set up platforms in trees and littered them with tasty banana slices, the capuchin monkeys gathered for a feast, with the lower social ranks frequently sending forth fake alarm calls as if a predator was ready to pounce. Upon hearing the distress call, all of the monkeys would flee, leaving a nice pile of food for the cheating monkey who issued forth the bogus call and remained behind.

From National Geographic:

The scientists aren’t yet sure whether such trickery is truly intentional, said Wheeler, a graduate student at Stony Brook University in New York State.

It’s possible a monkey really thinks some threat is present when it sounds the alarm. But the caller quickly realizes that there’s no danger and redirects its attention to the food, Wheeler speculated.

After this happens a few times, a monkey might learn to repeat the behavior even when the animal is sure there are no predators around—but that remains to be proven.

It’s also possible that the alarm call isn’t meant as an alarm but is “kind of like a monkey curse word,” Wheeler said.