Gregor MacGregor didn't just forge a check; he forged a civilization. He created a fake history, a fake army, and a fake capital city called "St. Joseph," then sold it to 250 innocent settlers. They sailed to paradise and found a malaria-infested swamp. This is the story of the "PoyaisScheme," the deadliest confidence trick in history, and how one man convinced the world to buy a hallucination.