How Paraguay's Most Persistent Deceptions Took Hold
Paraguay does not have a neat canon of world-famous hoaxes comparable with Piltdown Man or the Cottingley Fairies.
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
These episodes matter because they show that deception rarely succeeds through a clever falsehood alone. It usually borrows credibility from something real: a genuine nineteenth-century millionaire, an official-looking document, unexplained ruins, a famous public figure or the authority of the state. Paraguay’s history also demonstrates why folklore, mistaken scholarship, political propaganda and criminal fraud should not be treated as the same thing. Some claims were deliberately manufactured for money or power; others grew from speculation that was repeated until it resembled established history.
The inheritance that was always about to arrive
One of Paraguay’s clearest large-scale fraud stories centres on the fortune of Domingos Faustino Correa, a wealthy Brazilian businessman who died in 1873. Correa was real, and disputes over his estate continued for generations. That authentic foundation made the later deception unusually persuasive: fraudsters could point to a genuine historical person, an exceptionally prolonged succession case and supposed family connections across several South American countries.
The fraudulent version promised descendants or purchasers of inheritance rights a share of a fabulous fortune said to include land, gold and other assets. Participants were asked to pay for documentation, legal work, membership or transfers of supposed hereditary rights. The anticipated payout was repeatedly delayed but never entirely disproved in the eyes of believers; each obstacle could be explained as another bureaucratic stage in a century-old case.
In August 2024, Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office announced arrests in an investigation involving allegedly forged assignments of inheritance rights sold to roughly 300 people. Prosecutors said documents and computer equipment were seized, while investigators sought information about money transfers connected with the operation.[ministeriopublico.gov.py]ministeriopublico.gov.pydetienen a supuestos estafadores que vendian a casi 300 victimas cesion de 10780Detienen a supuestos estafadores que vendían a casi 300…6 Aug 2024 — Detienen a supuestos estafadores que vendían a casi 300 víctimas…
Local reporting described victims buying false or invalid papers in the expectation of receiving part of Correa’s estate. The story had circulated beyond Paraguay in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, showing how an inheritance legend can survive by crossing borders and recruiting new groups of supposed heirs.[ABC]abc.com.pyABC“Oro caído del cielo” y la herencia del comendador CorreaAugust 8, 2024 — 7 Aug 2024 — “Dejó como herencia el famoso “testamento del Comendador Correa” (de valor incalculable, de miles de millon…
The case is closer to an advance-fee fraud than to a theatrical hoax. Its machinery was simple:
- A real historical anchor: Correa existed, and litigation over his property had genuinely lasted for decades.
- A life-changing promise: even a very small share of an immense estate appeared worth pursuing.
- Official-looking paperwork: assignments, family records and legal language gave the scheme a formal appearance.
- Sunk costs: once victims had paid, abandoning the claim meant admitting that previous payments were lost.
- Endless postponement: the age and international complexity of the estate made delays seem plausible.
The legal picture requires care. In May 2025, a Paraguayan judge granted provisional dismissals in the criminal case after the prosecution requested more time or evidence; contemporary reports still described the investigation as concerning about 300 alleged victims. A provisional dismissal was not proof that the inheritance claims were genuine. It showed instead how difficult it can be to turn a sprawling, document-heavy belief system into a concluded criminal case.[Megacadena]megacadena.com.pyCierran provisoriamente causa por mega estafa en «cobro27 May 2025 — Cierran provisoriamente causa por mega estafa en «cobro» d…
The passports that made no practical sense
In March 2020, Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira entered Paraguay carrying false Paraguayan passports and identity documents. The absurdity of the episode helped make it internationally famous: Ronaldinho was one of the world’s most recognisable Brazilians, and Brazilian nationals did not ordinarily need a passport to make a short visit under regional travel arrangements.
Paraguayan authorities arrested the brothers after falsified documents were discovered. A judge rejected an early request for release, describing the alleged offence as serious, and Ronaldinho spent about a month in a specialised detention facility before being transferred to house arrest in a hotel. The brothers were released in August 2020 under a judicial agreement after roughly five months in detention.[reuters.com]reuters.comJudge rules Ronaldinho must remain in Paraguayan jailJudge rules Ronaldinho must remain in Paraguayan jail
Ronaldinho’s defence maintained that the documents had been given to him and that he had not understood their false nature. That distinction is important: the forged passports were unquestionably deceptive objects, but the public evidence did not establish that Ronaldinho himself had designed the wider document scheme. Prosecutors investigated other people and possible connected offences rather than treating the incident solely as a celebrity’s inexplicable attempt to disguise his nationality.[Reuters]reuters.comRonaldinho under investigation for more crimes: prosecutorRonaldinho under investigation for more crimes: prosecutor
The incident exposed the persuasive force of bureaucratic authenticity. Modern passports are trusted not because every official manually reconstructs the holder’s life story, but because the document appears within a system of serial numbers, databases, seals and issuing authorities. A convincing counterfeit therefore imitates an institution rather than merely imitating a piece of paper.
It also illustrates why famous participants can distract from the mechanism of a fraud. International coverage concentrated on Ronaldinho’s prison football matches and the strangeness of his predicament. The more consequential question was how apparently official Paraguayan identity documents had been produced and delivered to foreigners in the first place.
The imagined Viking kingdom
A more ideological case involved claims that Vikings had reached Paraguay before Columbus, established settlements and left descendants among Indigenous peoples. The theory became associated with the French-born writer Jacques de Mahieu and Paraguayan engineer Vicente Pistilli. De Mahieu published works arguing for extensive Norse influence in pre-Columbian South America, while Pistilli produced a book specifically promoting a Viking presence in Paraguay.[Wikipedia]WikipediaJacques de MahieuJacques de Mahieu
The proposed evidence included alleged runic inscriptions, stone structures, place-name similarities, physical descriptions of Indigenous communities and expansive interpretations of oral traditions. Such arguments followed a familiar pseudoarchaeological pattern: ambiguous marks were read as writing, visual resemblance replaced secure dating, and isolated similarities were assembled into a migration narrative without a dependable chain of archaeological evidence.
There is accepted archaeological evidence that Norse travellers reached North America around the turn of the second millennium. That fact makes further southward voyages imaginable in the abstract, but it does not prove settlement in Paraguay. A credible claim would require securely excavated Norse artefacts, reliable dating, clear archaeological context and results that independent specialists could reproduce. The Paraguayan Viking theory has not produced that standard of evidence.
The political background makes the story more serious than an eccentric adventure tale. De Mahieu had been involved in European fascist and neo-Nazi politics, and his writings interpreted Indigenous American achievements through racial theories that credited supposedly European founders. Academic criticism of this broader tradition has emphasised how “lost white civilisation” narratives deny or diminish Indigenous authorship of architecture, technology and political organisation.[Wikipedia]WikipediaJacques de MahieuJacques de Mahieu
Sources discussing Pistilli’s work also note allegations that such ideas influenced discriminatory attitudes towards the Aché people during Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship. The precise degree of policy influence is debated, but the underlying danger is clear: pseudoarchaeology can do more than mislabel a ruin. It can recast living Indigenous communities as the degenerated remnants of an imagined foreign race rather than as peoples with their own histories.[Wikipedia]WikipediaVicente PistilliVicente Pistilli
This case is best described as pseudohistory rather than a proven commercial hoax. Some promoters may have sincerely believed their interpretations. What makes it relevant to a history of deception is the conversion of weak, ideologically selected evidence into confident claims of discovery, followed by repetition in books and online posts long after professional standards had failed to validate it.
When the state controlled the picture
During Alfredo Stroessner’s dictatorship, which lasted from 1954 to 1989, deception operated less as a single fabricated story than as a managed information environment. Censorship, pressure on independent journalism and state-aligned broadcasting narrowed what could be publicly reported. Official newsreels and government media presented political activity through a carefully controlled image of order, progress and personal leadership.
ABC Color, founded in 1967, developed a reputation for criticism of the regime but was closed by the government in 1984 and did not reopen until after Stroessner’s fall. The closure demonstrates that propaganda was reinforced not only by producing favourable material but by preventing rival accounts from reaching the public.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMass media in ParaguayMass media in Paraguay
Authoritarian propaganda differs from an ordinary fake newspaper story. It may contain genuine ceremonies, roads, speeches and public works, yet arrange them so that failure, dissent and state violence disappear from view. The deception lies in selection and enforced silence as much as in outright invention.
This history also complicates the modern use of the phrase “fake news”. Under a dictatorship, declaring unfavourable reporting false can be a method of political control. Democratic responses to disinformation therefore have to protect open journalism while exposing demonstrably fabricated claims. International guidance on election disinformation stresses this balance between information integrity and freedom of expression.[Organization of American States]oas.orgOpen source on oas.org.
Election rumours in the social-media age
Before Paraguay’s general election of 30 April 2023, journalists and civil-society organisations documented a rise in misleading political material circulating through digital platforms. False endorsements, manipulated images, misleading extracts and unsupported allegations could travel rapidly through partisan communities, often reaching voters before corrections appeared.
A Paraguayan media alliance brought several outlets together to verify contested claims during the campaign. Reporting on the initiative described disinformation as increasingly prominent as election day approached and highlighted the value of publishing checks across several news organisations rather than leaving the task to a single outlet.[FOREIGN PRESS]foreignpress.orgFOREIGN PRESSCombating Election Disinformation: Paraguay's MediaFOREIGN PRESSCombating Election Disinformation: Paraguay's Media
Modern political fabrications differ from the Correa inheritance scheme because the immediate profit may be electoral rather than financial. They also differ from dictatorship-era propaganda because distribution is decentralised. A misleading image can be created by a campaign activist, anonymous account, partisan influencer or opportunistic content producer, then repeated by users who have no connection with its origin.
The main difficulty is speed. Research on online misinformation has repeatedly found that corrections often enter the conversation after the false claim has already spread, while fact-checks may remain trapped within audiences already inclined to trust them.[arXiv]arxiv.orgarXiv Hoaxy: A Platform for Tracking Online MisinformationarXiv Hoaxy: A Platform for Tracking Online Misinformation In Paraguay, as elsewhere, a successful verification therefore needs more than a technically accurate verdict. It must identify the original image or quotation, explain the manipulation in accessible language and circulate through the same channels in which the falsehood appeared.
Why these stories remain persuasive
Paraguay’s best-documented cases do not share a single motive, but they do share a structure. Each attaches a doubtful claim to a trusted surface.
The Correa fraud attached itself to a real estate dispute. False passports imitated the authority of the state. Viking theories borrowed the language of archaeology and anthropology. Dictatorial publicity used the appearance of journalism. Election misinformation adopts the visual conventions of news graphics, screenshots and spontaneous citizen reporting.
They also survive because exposure rarely erases the emotional appeal of the original story. The inheritance still promises escape from financial hardship. The Viking kingdom offers a secret past supposedly ignored by experts. State propaganda presents national unity without conflict. Election rumours provide immediate confirmation that opponents are corrupt or dangerous.
The most useful question is therefore not simply, “Is this story false?” It is, “What makes this particular version feel trustworthy?” In Paraguay’s history, the answer is often a document, an institution, an expert title or a fragment of genuine history placed inside a much less reliable narrative.
That distinction also prevents unfair generalisation. These episodes do not show that Paraguayans are unusually credulous. They show how familiar human pressures—hope, prestige, political loyalty, bureaucratic trust and fascination with hidden history—can be exploited within a specifically Paraguayan setting. The same mechanisms recur elsewhere, but the local cases reveal the institutions, memories and social conditions through which they acquired credibility.
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to How Paraguay's Most Persistent Deceptions Took Hold. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Rating: 4.0/5 from 5 Google Books ratings
Matches the page's broad theme of persistent deceptions.
Why People Believe Weird Things
Explains why weakly supported stories continue to circulate.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.
Endnotes
1.
Source: ministeriopublico.gov.py
Title: detienen a supuestos estafadores que vendian a casi 300 victimas cesion de 10780
Link:https://www.ministeriopublico.gov.py/nota/detienen-a-supuestos-estafadores-que-vendian-a-casi-300-victimas-cesion-de-10780
Source snippet
Detienen a supuestos estafadores que vendían a casi 300...6 Aug 2024 — Detienen a supuestos estafadores que vendían a casi 300 víctimas...
2.
Source: ministeriopublico.gov.py
Link:https://www.ministeriopublico.gov.py/nota/solicitan-informes-a-entidades-sobre-remesas-de-dinero-enviados-al-exterior-en-caso-10790
Source snippet
Solicitan informes a entidades sobre remesas de dinero...7 Aug 2024 — Habrían sido víctimas unas 300 personas. Noticas Más Leídas Archiv...
3.
Source: ministeriopublico.gov.py
Title: fiscalia allano escribania e incauto mas evidencias en caso de estafa por 10821
Link:https://ministeriopublico.gov.py/nota/fiscalia-allano-escribania-e-incauto-mas-evidencias-en-caso-de-estafa-por-10821
Source snippet
Fiscalía allanó escribanía e incautó más evidencias en...9 Aug 2024 — Del lugar fueron incautados varios documentos y equipos informátic...
4.
Source: reuters.com
Title: Judge rules Ronaldinho must remain in Paraguayan jail
Link:https://www.reuters.com/article/sports/judge-rules-ronaldinho-must-remain-in-paraguayan-jail-idUSKBN20X28K/
5.
Source: reuters.com
Title: Ronaldinho under investigation for more crimes: prosecutor
Link:https://www.reuters.com/article/sports/ronaldinho-under-investigation-for-more-crimes-prosecutor-idUSKBN20W0HD/
6.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Jacques de Mahieu
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Mahieu
7.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Vicente Pistilli
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Pistilli
8.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Jacques de Mahieu
Link:https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Mahieu
9.
Source: Wikipedia
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoarchaeology
10.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Marcial Samaniego
Link:https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcial_Samaniego
11.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Marcial Samaniego
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcial_Samaniego
12.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Mass media in Paraguay
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media_in_Paraguay
13.
Source: foreignpress.org
Title: FOREIGN PRESSCombating Election Disinformation: Paraguay’s Media
Link:https://foreignpress.org/journalism-resources/combating-election-disinformation-paraguays-media-alliance-takes-a-stand
14.
Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv Hoaxy: A Platform for Tracking Online Misinformation
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.01511
15.
Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.13280
16.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Archaeological forgery
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeological_forgery
17.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Guaraní people
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%AD_people
18.
Source: reuters.com
Title: judge rules ronaldinho must remain in paraguayan jail id USKBN20U0X2
Link:https://www.reuters.com/article/sports/-judge-rules-ronaldinho-must-remain-in-paraguayan-jail-idUSKBN20U0X2/
19.
Source: abc.com.py
Title: ABC“Oro caído del cielo” y la herencia del comendador Correa
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/nacionales/2024/08/07/oro-caido-del-cielo-y-herencia-del-comendador-correa-una-fantastica-extendida-y-repetida-estafa/
Source snippet
August 8, 2024 — 7 Aug 2024 — “Dejó como herencia el famoso “testamento del Comendador Correa” (de valor incalculable, de miles de millon...
Published: August 8, 2024
20.
Source: megacadena.com.py
Link:https://megacadena.com.py/cierran-provisoriamente-causa-por-mega-estafa-en-cobro-de-herencia-del-comendador-correa/
Source snippet
Cierran provisoriamente causa por mega estafa en «cobro27 May 2025 — Cierran provisoriamente causa por mega estafa en «cobro» d...
Published: May 2025
21.
Source: theguardian.com
Title: ronaldinho arrested in paraguay over fake passport row
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/07/ronaldinho-arrested-in-paraguay-over-fake-passport-row
22.
Source: washingtonpost.com
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/retired-brazil-soccer-star-ronaldinho-released-in-paraguay/2020/08/24/f8dc2b90-e65a-11ea-bf44-0d31c85838a5_story.html
23.
Source: oas.org
Link:https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/publications/Guia_Desinformacion_VF%20ENG.pdf
24.
Source: abc.com.py
Title: ande alerta sobre fraude que circula en redes sociales
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/economia/2026/01/13/ande-alerta-sobre-fraude-que-circula-en-redes-sociales/
25.
Source: abc.com.py
Title: red de estafa y clonacion de vehiculos esto es lo que se sabe hasta ahora
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/policiales/2026/03/19/red-de-estafa-y-clonacion-de-vehiculos-esto-es-lo-que-se-sabe-hasta-ahora/
26.
Source: abc.com.py
Title: ronaldinho un mago del balon que acumula deudas y problemas
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/deportes/futbol/2020/03/05/ronaldinho-un-mago-del-balon-que-acumula-deudas-y-problemas/
27.
Source: abc.com.py
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/policiales/2026/03/18/buscan-a-supuesto-clonador-de-vehiculos-tras-la-captura-de-su-secretario-que-se-sacrifico-para-salvarlo/
28.
Source: abc.com.py
Title: César Diesel
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/tag/cesar-diesel/
29.
Source: abc.com.py
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/nacionales/2025/02/14/acusan-a-presidente-de-la-conmebol-de-hostigar-hasta-paralizar-obra-pegada-a-su-canchita/
30.
Source: theguardian.com
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/24/ronaldinho-paraguay-jail-passport
31.
Source: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
Link:https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/truth-casualty-how-indian-fact-checkers-debunked-false-claims-during-india-pakistan-crisis
32.
Source: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
Link:https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/fake-news-propaganda-and-influence-operations-guide-journalism-new-and-more-chaotic-media
Additional References
33.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixBYPpXlhGs
Source snippet
Ronaldinho released from Paraguay after five months of detention | WION News...
34.
Source: hoy.com.py
Title: mas de 300 estafados bajo promesa de recibir herencia del comendador correa
Link:https://www.hoy.com.py/nacionales/2024/08/07/mas-de-300-estafados-bajo-promesa-de-recibir-herencia-del-comendador-correa
Source snippet
Los estafadores vendían documentos de cesión de derechos...Read more...
35.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ronaldinho & brother arrested with fake passports (Paraguay)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbH4Qe6CN_k
Source snippet
Former Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho arrested under fake passport claims in Paraguay...
36.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ronaldinho released from Paraguay after five months of detention | WION News
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApY-a33ieiA
Source snippet
The Secret of the Vikings in Brazil: A Lost Story That Could Be True?...
37.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Secret of the Vikings in Brazil: A Lost Story That Could Be True?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEChn2cYqYc
Source snippet
WHEN VIKINGS MEET NATIVE AMERICAN ⚔️ VIKINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA [2nd part]...
38.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/GrupoELDEBER/posts/paraguay-en-el-distrito-de-capit%C3%A1n-bado-una-anaconda-fue-captada-en-video-entre-/1406075151547603/
39.
Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY8aJwijsjg/
40.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340382420_The_Logic_of_Conspiracy_Thought_A_Research_Agenda_for_an_Era_of_Institutional_Distrust_and_Fake_News
41.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/ABCTVpy/posts/abcnoticias-fiscal%C3%ADa-allana-instituto-que-emiti%C3%B3-300-supuestos-t%C3%ADtulos-falsos-co/1461201112714093/
42.
Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Archaeological_fakes
Topic Tree
Follow this branch
Related pages 192
- Albanian Hoaxes
- Algerian Hoaxes
- Antigua Deceptions
- Argentina Hoaxes
- Armenian Hoaxes
- +187 more in sidebar