32. The Prince of Poyais
A 19th-century army captain pulls off the most audacious scam in history.
Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling · BBC Radio 5 Live
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Show Notes
This week, Iain tells the story of Gregor MacGregor, a 19th-century trickster who took con artistry to a whole new level. In 1820, Gregor invented his own country – complete with a national flag and even a currency – and managed to convince hundreds of British people to uproot their lives and move thousands of miles away, under the false pretence of a prosperous new life in South America.
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