Though having examined carefully, had been cheated (6)

I believe the answer is:

conned

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'cheated' is the definition.
(conning is a kind of cheating)

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for conned that I've seen before include "Studied carefully" , "Deceived" , "Studied; cheated" , "Taken in, tricked" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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