On the grounds that you've been social engineering for many years to date, you'd be well aware of the complexities Involved to manipulate your target effectively, and the measures you need to put In place to get the job done. Unless the rep/agent Is brain-dead and approves your claim on the spot with very little to no questions asked, there will Inevitably be quite a number of obstacles that must be circumvented to ultimately get what you're aiming to achieve- your account credited for the full cost of the purchased Item or a replacement dispatched without sending back the original one. The fact Is, the moment your claim Is being assessed by a representative, you have very little to no control of the steps he'll take until a decision Is made, but you can certainly help minimize raising suspicion "before the SE Is launched".
To do that, It's of the utmost Importance to "support your Item and attack vector with the appropriate method" prior to the SE leaving your local environment because as soon as It does and It's In the hands of the customer service reps, It will be very difficult (and at times Impossible) to alter your plan of attack. Simply put, It's paramount to Implement "Item & method compatibility". That Is, for the most part, the "method" must be suited to the nature (weight & size) of the Item- you cannot select the first one that comes to mind. For Instance, If you've ordered a gaming laptop that's around 2kg and used the missing Item method, expect your SE to fail In the early stages of your claim.
Why Is that you ask? Well, If an Investigation Is opened and the company cross-checked the weight recorded at the carrier's depot, they'd establish that "It was not 2kg lighter", therefore your laptop was correctly picked, packed and dispatched. Oh, did I mention that all this relates to "company manipulation and exploitation?". If you're an Intermediate or advanced SE'er, no doubt you would've worked It out already. If not and you've just recently started social engineering or looking to get Into the scene, I suggest you first read my tutorial named Beginner's Guide To SE'ing and then continue where you left off here. Now In order to be proficient In Item & method compatibility, It's crucial to have sound knowledge of "every SEing method"- even those that're rarely used, which brings me to the objective of this article.
I will Introduce you to the "disposed of the faulty Item method", and although Its success rate Is not on par with the likes of the DNA (Did Not Arrive) and the sealed box method, by no means should It be disregarded altogether. SEing Is unpredictable at the best of times, thus It's Imperative to have a clear understanding of how all methods are structured, and the disposed of the faulty Item method Is no exception. In the event you're unsure what methods are and why they're an Integral part of every social engineering attack vector, use the search function on this blog- you'll find a lot of Information that will answer your questions and concerns. Okay, so without further delay, let's get this started.
What Is The Disposed Of The Faulty Item Method?
Have you ever purchased something on the Internet or at your local mall, such as a hair straightener or an electric shaver and upon your arrival home and plugging In your product, It wasn't functioning as It should? I'd say your answer Is "Yes" on at least one occasion. Even though goods are Inspected and tested by the manufacturer prior to shipping them to their suppliers, they're not always In faultless condition. Companies are well aware of It, but don't like to disclose It and when customers contact them saying that their Item Is faulty, they have protocols In place to try and Identify why It's not operating as per It's original state- the most common being "step-by-step troubleshooting procedures". This Is when you'll put the "disposed of the faulty Item method" Into action, by telling the rep/agent that you threw It out due to "health & safety reasons".
I've explained exactly how It's done In the next topic. Before using the method, you must first make sure your Item Is covered by the company's refund & replacement policy. For example, some retailers offer an exchange or a full refund within 35 days of receipt of delivery (or from the date of the Invoice), so head over to their website's terms to confirm that your product Is covered. Now some SE'ers are short of cash and Instead of buying the Item, they use the serial number method to execute the attack, while others order It with their credit card and SE It thereafter. Both are much of a muchness In the way they're performed, so for the purpose of this entire tutorial, I will be referring to "buying the Item upfront", so let's check It out as per the topic below.
Effectively Use The Disposed Of The Faulty Item Method:
Before I make a start, the Intention of this method Is to manipulate the representative to "not send your Item back for a refund/replacement", so keep this In mind every time you have the need formulate It with future SEs. Okay, here's how to effectively apply It. We'll say you've bought an electric toothbrush and after contacting the company, you've told the rep that It wasn't functioning correctly right from the get-go. Under the circumstances, their routine procedure Is to go through a few troubleshooting steps to try and rectify the problem, and when they're satisfied that It's a manufacturer defect, "they'll ask you to return It" and your account will be credited for the full cost of the purchase price, or a replacement shipped at no extra charge.
Now the moment It gets to the troubleshooting stage, tell the rep that "your Item blew up when your youngest son was using It" and as a very distressed parent, you Immediately disposed of It for "health & safety concerns". To help solidify your SE, also mention that the Impact of the faulty Item, left a small cut on your son's cheek and you're thankful that he didn't sustain further Injuries. Alternatively you can use an equally-effective approach that's compatible with an array of products that have some sort of electrical and/or mechanical operation to function, by saying that "It caught fire" and as with the example above, your son (or any household member) only suffered a minor burn.
It's very Important to add "personal Injury" as part of the equation, for the reason that companies and manufacturers alike, know all too well that there's always a possibility of litigation to claim damages for pain and suffering. As a result, companies take "health & safety" very seriously and unbeknownst to consumers, they have measures In place to address every event, hence they must comply with the applicable regulations. Having said that, some reps either have no brain cells left or cannot be bothered doing their job In compliance with their guidelines, therefore make your claim as difficult as possible. But the key to success, Is to be"adamant" and "persevere" with all the above. As such, because of the Incidents that (seemingly) occurred, the Item's disposal Is well and truly warranted, and a refund or replacement should be on Its way.
Items Suited To The Disposed Of The Faulty Item Method:
Despite the fact that this Is stating the absolute obvious, for one reason or another, some SE'ers tend to Initially overlook that the disposed of the faulty Item method can only be used with "products that have some type of functionality to operate". I'm not the type of social engineer who enjoys telling my readers to use common sense, but I feel that It's sometimes needed to serve as reminder that It's not hard at all to use some Initiative- namely when analyzing/performing the most simplest of tasks. Anyway, I'm sure you get the point so I'll leave It at that. To help you make an Informed decision when the time comes to hit your very own SE, I've listed a few Items below that're compatible with the method.
- Speakers (example: Bose Home Speaker 300)
- Headphones (example: Bose Quiet Comfort)
- Nintendo Switch Console
- SSD (Solid State Drive)
- Computer Monitors
- Electric Toothbrush
- Computer (laptop)
- Electric Shavers
- Apple AirPods
- Cell Phones
By no means Is the above an exhaustive list- there are hundreds of other Items to choose from, but I've handpicked those that're typically used by social engineers of all shapes & sizes, myself Included. Moreover, they have a pretty good success rate with the disposed of the faulty Item method, thus you can use It as a general guide when selecting Items In a similar category.
In Conclusion:
Now that you've reached the end of this article, I have no doubt that you've familiarized yourself with every facet of the "disposed of the faulty Item method", Inclusive of what It takes as an SE'er to prepare and execute It In an effective manner. I'd like to reiterate the point of Implementing "health & safety" Into the method with each and every SE, as well as (where possible) sustaining some type of "personal Injury" due to the Item's defect. Though, don't overdo It! Apply only enough to demonstrate that the company's product was the direct cause of the Injury Itself.
