What is the oldest scam in the book?

Factual Questions
41

I’ve often wondered who, when figured out that sex is what causes babies?

Also, as I understand it, both Lot and Noah got taken in by the “get them drunk” scam. SOme question as to what Noah and his boy were up to.

42

It would be highly surprising if before someone put it all together, the bearing of children wasn’t deemed to be miraculous, hence the reason for those female fertility idols which pre-date all known religions, as far as I am aware.

43

So you consider getting a day off work each week to be getting scammed?

44

IIRC, it doesn’t actually show up in the Iliad, but only gets mentioned in the Odyssey. No big loss, though, since the Iliad is chock full of other scams from Odysseus: he fakes insanity when attempting to dodge the draft, but is forced into dropping the act when Palamedes puts the big guy’s son in the way of the ostensible madman; Odysseus then tricks Achilles into dropping his dodge-the-draft tactic of dressing up like a woman, and later settles up with Palamedes by framing the guy with a faked letter and stashed gold to get him executed.

45

Those “female fertility idols” were quite possibly just the prehistoric version of internet porn, which could make the oldest scam, “Honey, it’s just that I respect women so much I want to see their pure naked form. It’s art, beauty, and religion. It’s not that all I care about is sex.”

46

I would have assumed that since prostitution is “the worlds oldest profession”, wouldn’t “rolling a john” be the worlds oldest scam?

47

Religion.

48

Any idea of a date for this? Does it beat the 3250BC for the Sumaerian fraud that dracoi found?

49

u=phail.

50

I know the answer. Just send me $50 and I’ll tell you.

51

Involved in the oldest scam in the book:
“Nobody poked my single eye out.”

52

[Moderator Warning]

Since I have already issued a reminder to another poster in this thread not to make religious jabs, I am going to make this one an official warning (for that, and also for violating moderator instructions).

[Moderator Note]

Malacandra, if you see a rules violation, the proper course is to report the post, not to address the poster yourself. No warning issued, but don’t do this again.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

53

Thank’ee - not so much concerned about the violation as the incompetence displayed in the commission thereof, hence the reaction in lieu of reporting.

54

Even so, you should refrain from making insulting remarks in GQ.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

55

Apologies - what I intended to convey was “This snark is inept; someone else has already posted the exact same zinger and been rebuked for it”, not an insult. But it doesn’t profit me to continue arguing the point, so I’ll call it done for now.

56

I would say that trade scams go back to the beginning of the first scam. No cites but I am sure that at one point, a Sumerian city slicker tried to sell beans out of deceptively smaller jugs, found lightweight stones to weigh goods, watered down wine, etc.

Maybe it’s not the oldest, but the “pig in a poke” is pretty old. And lots of languages have a similar phrase so it must have been widespread.