The Scammer Gregor McGregor

ODD STORIES 

he sold bonds of a fictional country in the early 1800s / colorful Scottish / from British soldier to Bolivar's general / independence war of Venezuela / also attacked Amelia Island and "founded" the Republic of the Floridas  

scamming side = invented a colony in Central America / named "Poyais" / European investors and immigrants scammed / invested in the Bank of Poyais / a couple of hundred moved to the colony and found a wild jungle / half of them ended dead

McGregor returned to Venezuela / died there and received honorable funeral / heroic end for an old scammer

 

[ CONTEXT ] = history / scams / scammers / America / Venezuela