In the 1820s and 30s con man Gregor MacGregor claimed to be the "Cazique of Poyais", basically the king of a thriving colony/country in central America that in no way existed. Investments in the entirely fictional country skyrocketed because of its vast amount of made up natural resources and its population of make believe servile and pleasant natives. MacGregor even convinced a few hundred Anglos to move to Poyais, gave them fancy titles in the military and civil service of his pretend country and then put them on ships to central America where they were dropped off in an uninhabitable jungle that MacGregor had no claim to whatsoever and then most of them died.