Ramón Campayo: Spain's self-styled memory guru faces mounting fraud claims
Ramón Campayo has spent 30 years selling memory courses without proof. Failed demonstrations, an unrecorded competition and suspicions of fraud with a terminal illness.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ramón Campayo, the memory fraudster nobody can pin down
Can someone read 400 pages in an hour and memorise 23,000 words in a competition without any recording? That is the calling card of Ramón Campayo, a character who has spent three decades selling photographic memory and estimulante ilegal reading courses without academic accreditation. Sceptics have been demanding a live demonstration for years; when it has been attempted – such as on programmes like Wyoming – the whole thing has fallen apart.
A history of broken promises
The accusations pile up: alleged cheating in exhibitions, no university degree and a self-declared IQ of 194 that nobody has verified. A competition in which he supposedly memorised 23,000 words was never recorded, which for critics is proof of fraud. He is also attributed erratic behaviour and, according to some, a cocaine addiction problem that would explain his verbosity and lack of control.
Terminal illness as an alibi?
The rumour of a terminal illness, if true, fits the pattern of seeking one last score before disappearing. If false, it would be the perfect excuse to avoid accountability when buyers of his courses ask for their money back. In any case, the profile is reminiscent of other "idiot detectors": he identifies who pays, and the customer discovers too late that the method was more like estimulante ilegal reading with a white powder base.
The legal question is on the table: several commentators point out that, if the Penal Code were applied with common sense, these individuals would be convicted of fraud or attempted fraud, like fortune tellers or quacks. But while justice does not act, the miracle course racket keeps running.
Related debates on the forum
Can someone read 400 pages in an hour and memorise 23,000 words in a competition without any recording? That is the calling card of Ramón Campayo, a character who has spent three decades selling photographic memory and estimulante ilegal reading courses without academic accreditation. Sceptics have been demanding a live demonstration for years; when it has been attempted – such as on programmes like Wyoming – the whole thing has fallen apart.
A history of broken promises
The accusations pile up: alleged cheating in exhibitions, no university degree and a self-declared IQ of 194 that nobody has verified. A competition in which he supposedly memorised 23,000 words was never recorded, which for critics is proof of fraud. He is also attributed erratic behaviour and, according to some, a cocaine addiction problem that would explain his verbosity and lack of control.
Terminal illness as an alibi?
The rumour of a terminal illness, if true, fits the pattern of seeking one last score before disappearing. If false, it would be the perfect excuse to avoid accountability when buyers of his courses ask for their money back. In any case, the profile is reminiscent of other "idiot detectors": he identifies who pays, and the customer discovers too late that the method was more like estimulante ilegal reading with a white powder base.
The legal question is on the table: several commentators point out that, if the Penal Code were applied with common sense, these individuals would be convicted of fraud or attempted fraud, like fortune tellers or quacks. But while justice does not act, the miracle course racket keeps running.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (49 replies).
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