THE OG SCAMMER

from DEVIOUS · host Handy and Maal

What if someone convinced hundreds of people to move to a country... that didn't exist?This week on Devious Backstories, Handy & Maal dive into the unbelievable story of Gregor MacGregor, the man who pulled off one of the boldest scams in history. In the early 1800s, he invented the nation of Poyais, printed maps, created official documents, sold land, and even convinced families to leave everything behind for a paradise that was nothing more than a lie.How did so many intelligent people fall for it? Why wasn't he stopped sooner? And how did one man become one of history's most successful con artists?It's a story filled with deception, greed, false hope, and a scam so outrageous it almost sounds impossible.💬 Question of the Day: Do you think a scam like Poyais could happen today?

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 30, 2026

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THE OG SCAMMER

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