I regularly wonder what definition of "friend" some people operate with. If I found myself in a losing position, I'd do my best to keep my friends out of it, not to drag them in.
There are 'tiers' of people I would consider a 'friend', who'se pitches to me I would also be skeptical off, for suspicion they are self-interested.
Now, this tier of friend is very close to 'acquaintance' but I think there are plenty of people for whom the boundary of 'being a friend' includes these kinds of acquaintance.
