Long before the modern age of Nigerian princes asking for loans, upcharging mechanics, or even snake oil salesmen, an ancient Mesopotamian man named Ea-Nasir became the first ever documented person in history to “scam” another person out of their hard earned money.

Ea-Nasir lived in the Sumerian city-state of Ur in the mid-18th century of the BC era (this territory is located in modern day Iraq). He lived as a trader by nature, travelling as far as the Persian Gulf to harvest materials to trade. However, the materials that he travelled so far to obtain were actually of very poor quality, according to an unhappy customer of Ea-Nasir. The customer, named Nanni, wrote a detailed complaint about a large quantity of copper he purchased. Within the complaint tablet, Nanni airs his grievances not only with the quality of the copper but also about the treatment of his servant during the purchase.

A translation of the tablet from its original cuneiform is provided by Assyriologist A. Leo Oppenheim in his book, “Letters From Mesopotamia: Official, Business, and Private Letters on Clay Tablets from Two Millennia”. The translation is as follows:
“Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message:
When you came, you said to me as follows : ‘I will give Gimil-Sin (when he comes) fine quality copper ingots.” You left then but you did not do what you promised me. You put ingots which were not good before my messenger (Sit-Sin) and said: “If you want to take them, take them; if you

do not want to take them, go away!’
What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt? I have sent as messengers gentlemen like ourselves to collect the bag with my money (deposited with you) but you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory. Is there anyone among the merchants who trade with Telmun who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my messenger with contempt! On account of that one (trifling) mina of silver which I owe(?) you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the palace on your behalf 1,080 pounds of copper, and umi-abum has likewise given 1,080 pounds of copper, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple of Samas. How have you treated me for that copper? You have

withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore (my money) to me in full.

Take cognizance that (from now on) I will not accept here any copper from you that is not of fine quality. I shall (from now on) select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.”

In addition to the complaint tablet from Nanni, researchers also found several similar tablets in a room of Ea-Nasir’s house. Each of these tablets were from a different buyer, and all listed their frustrations with the business practices of the infamous trader. This shows archaeologists that Ea-Nasir had a frequent trend of fraud and scamming buyers, securing his place as history’s first conman.

https://qz.com/1364934/the-worlds-first-customer-complaint-is-almost-4000-years-old/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/first-customer-service-complaint-ea-nasir
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/05/11/meet-the-worst-businessman-of-the-18th-century/?sh=730469c22d5d