Gregor MacGregor’s Scam Country

It's time to acknowledge Gregor MacGregor for pulling off what is arguably the most incredible con ever. He created an entire nation from scratch and persuaded others to believe in it. MacGregor was born in England in 1822, the son of a banker and a former soldier. But was he? He started spreading the rumor that he was actually a prince from the Poyais kingdom. Do you know Poyais? If you don't look at any maps because it's not a real place, you can't miss it right down there near Honduras.

The ruler of the Mosquito Coast Territory, which is now in modern-day Honduras and Nicaragua, had handed MacGregor eight million acres of that territory. Despite becoming his, the government still had jurisdiction over the land. However, British elites who had no understanding what they were doing at the moment were investing heavily in South America.

To deceive wealthy investors, MacGregor invented a whole fictitious nation replete with a flag and a book. Selling off land that people thought would prosper and provide a return on investment, he made the equivalent of millions. To move there, hundreds packed everything. But there was absolutely nothing there for them. Less than one third made it back to England unharmed. Before their passengers sailed, five more ships had to be halted. MacGregor, for his part, eluded capture and resorted to the same con. After being captured, he escaped once more and ended up in Caracas, where he lived out the remainder of his days.