When social engineering an online retailer for a refund or replacement of an Item that you've either already purchased, or only have Its serial number that's still under warranty, there are quite a number of methods that you can utilize. For example, In terms of an Item you have on hand, you can use a universal method that's suited to just about any company named the "wrong Item received". As Its name Implies, you claim that you've received something that's completely different to what you've ordered. For the most part, the company will ask to return It, and you then send a "stock Item" that Is "part of their Inventory" and significantly cheaper. The rep will scan It, see that It belongs to them and Issue a refund or replacement thereafter. Pretty cool, yes? I think so too.
But what If you're using the "Serial Number method", and obviously don't have the Item to begin with? In other words, you've obtained a serial number from (for example) someone on eBay for a product that's still covered by warranty, and will SE a given company for a refund. Evidently, you cannot return something that you don't have. Well, that's when you use "dry Ice" to "substitute the Item". Of course, even If you have It, you can still use dry Ice by sending that Instead of the Item. This Is based on the grounds that the Item Is too heavy to (seemingly) send on Its own. So what exactly Is "dry Ice?". Let's check It out now.
Dry Ice Defined:
Have you been to a birthday party, or your best friend's wedding and witnessed a kind of foggy or smoky atmosphere on the dance floor? This Is In fact, the result and effect of "dry Ice". It's widely used for entertainment purposes and quite popular In night clubs, Halloween parties, special events and so forth. However, social engineers have other Intentions, which I'll cover shortly. In simple terms, It's "frozen carbon dioxide In a solid form" and when It's exposed to conditions other than It's frozen state, It turns directly to gas which Is known as "sublimation". That's right, unlike normal Ice In your freezer, dry Ice does NOT melt but turns directly to gas and leaves absolutely no residue, which makes It Ideal for social engineers when SEing a company for a refund or replacement Item. This brings me to my next point.
When Should Dry Ice Be Used?
Before I make a start, dry Ice Is used as a "weight substitute" when boxing a company. I've lost count, as to the number of times I've been asked the question: "How much dry Ice should I use", without the user providing any details whatsoever on what the SE Involves. It's a perfect example of: "How long Is a piece of string?". I can't answer that and I'm sure you can't either. As with every SE, the method Is always based on the nature of the Item, and the use of dry Ice Is no exception. The first thing you need to establish, Is the weight and dimensions of the Item and once this Is done, you can make the decision as to whether dry Ice Is warranted.
For Instance, If you're planning to social engineer a CPU that's only a few centimeters In length, width & height and only weighs 10 grams, It will not register a weight on consignment so dry Ice Is not needed to substitute Its weight. Or If you're SEing a chair with the dimensions of 85 x 40 x 37 and weighs 30 Kg, It obviously cannot be used for this. Why? Firstly, "the Item Is clearly too big to box"- It will Immediately show signs of tampering the moment It's collected by the carrier, thus the sender will be held liable.
Also, can you Imagine adding "30 Kg of dry Ice" as a substitute for the chair? You couldn't possibly calculate the exact time that 30 Kg will take to sublimate! Moreover, even If you could, It will not sublimate fast enough during transit. This Is actually a real scenario from a member on a forum who believed It was justified and at the time of this post, still does.
So as you should realize by now, whether or not dry Ice should be used when boxing a company, Is solely based against both the "size" and "weight" of the Item. But guess what? It doesn't end here. It's of the utmost Importance, to use a calculated approach when preparing to box a company with dry Ice, so without further delay, let's have a look at what this Involves.
How To Properly Use Dry Ice:
Although social engineers use dry Ice to their advantage, by returning that Instead of the Item that the company Is expecting, It's not as simple as placing It In a box or package and have the carrier deliver It to Its destination. There are a number of strategic and methodical factors to formulate before the SE'er ("you") can proceed with the return. Now I'm not suggesting that you should have a master's degree In physics, but rather use common sense and good judgement with what you're about to read. I've written the most Important factors In point form as follows.
Sublimation Time.
This depends on a few things, one of which Is atmospheric conditions. The warmer the temperature, the quicker It sublimates. That Is, turns from solid carbon dioxide to gas. As a rule of thumb, the rate that dry Ice sublimates Is around 2.4 Kg -4.5 Kg every 24 hours when placed In an Ice chest.
Storage Time.
This Is pretty much self-explanatory, yet completely overlooked by many SE'ers. The storage time relates to how long the package Is left at the "collection point", as well as stored at the "carrier's depot", and also the amount of time It "spends In transit" until It reaches Its destination.
Allow More Time Than Less.
It's Impossible to calculate "the exact sublimation against the storage & transit time", so always allow more time for sublimation than what you anticipate. For example, If you've come up with 12 hours of sublimation time, then add a couple of hours to that. This ensures that there'll be no presence of dry Ice when they receive the package.
Keep It To A Minimum.
The objective of using dry Ice, Is to obviously "match It to the weight of the Item you're SEing" at the time, and of equal Importance, Is to have It "completely sublimate when delivered". In order to calculate and achieve the latter, do not box an Item that's extremely heavy! Try and keep the weight to a minimum.
In Conclusion:
Upon reading this entire article, you may be thinking that using dry Ice when boxing a company, Is more trouble than It's worth, when In fact It's a very simple procedure. If you're not too confident In how to calculate the amount you need against the storage and delivery time, then "perform a practice run". Do this by packing ex-amount of dry Ice, send It to a friend and the moment they receive It, ask them to Immediately open the package and call you. Take note whether any dry Ice was present and If so, adjust the amount accordingly. This will give you a good platform to work with, when the time comes to SE a given company or two.
