Which "king of con men" invented a fake country for his victims to invest in?

We've seen some wild ones so far, but imagine having the gall to invent your own country. That's exactly what Scottish con man, Gregor MacGregor (whose real name even sounds fake), did in the early 1820s. The country was called Poyais, a paradise in the Caribbean, a plot of land you'd be stupid not to invest in. A guidebook at the time called the faux nation “one of the most healthy and beautiful spots in the world.” But little did investors know, that "healthy, beautiful spot" was a complete fairy tale told by the country's so-called "Cazique" (prince), MacGregor.

Last updated 5 years ago · 11K views · SOURCE