The true story of a Scottish conman who convinced hundreds of people to move to a fake country

Scotland NowHistoryHis victims hoped to move to there for a better life16:15, 17 Jul 2026Updated 16:19, 17 Jul 2026The astonishing true story of a Scottish conman who invented a fake country has resurfaced as a new dark comedy play based on the tale is set to run at the Edinburgh Fringe this year.‌The Wolf of Poyais tells the story of 19th-century adventurer Gregor MacGregor, who sold the world a lie and almost got away with it.‌MacGregor claimed to have discovered a central American country called Poyais while fighting in the South American wars of independence, returned to Britain and falsely claimed to have been made "cacique" of the made up land.‌The explorer successfully persuaded hundreds of people to invest in and even emigrate to Poyais only for them to later discover it didn't exi