On the grounds that you've purchased and received an Item by ordering It online from a given company and want to social engineer them for a refund or replacement, there are many methods you can use such as (but not limited to) the DNA, the wrong Item received, the missing Item and partial method and to circumvent a return, you can use the good old boxing method. The advantage of "buying the product" and SEing It thereafter, Is that you have an array of methods to choose from, thus If you're not comfortable or confident with one particular method or perhaps It's not suited to the nature of the Item, simply opt for another one that fulfills your needs and most Importantly, satisfies your SE In Its entirety.
What I'm referring to of course, Is social engineering companies who utilize a carrier service to deliver your goods, by deceiving their representatives to credit your account for the full cost of the purchased Item, or dispatch a replacement at their expense- while you still get to keep the original one. As easy as It may seem, It takes an exceptional set of skills to manipulate reps/agents Into believing that the SE Is a legit claim, and keep the attack vector flowing In a positive direction without raising any suspicion whatsoever. The objective Is to have the claim finalized In your favor- preferably your funds reimbursed Into your account.
Now you may be thinking of the time your SE was Immediately approved with very little to no questions asked, but I'm not talking about reps who have no brain cells left and can't think for themselves, but rather those who're switched on and work strictly by the book, whereby they follow company protocol every step of the way when assessing claims. In such Instances, It's crucial to prepare your method to perfection, especially when there's some degree of complexity Involved with Its formulation- of which the "sealed box method" Is part of this equation. To this day, I continue to provide support to fellow SE'ers who experience major difficulties with how the method should be applied In an effective fashion and If you fall In this category, rest assured, I've got you covered.
What you will learn In this article, Is a few well-crafted methodologies on how to prepare the sealed box method by leaving absolutely no room for error, as well as what to expect when your attack leaves your local environment and Is In the hands of the company's representative, and the type of actions you need to take to ensure the SE remains stable throughout the entire process. Even If you're well acquainted with the sealed box method and pretty much know your way around It, I strongly recommend reading every topic from this point onwards- as there will definitely be some details unbeknownst to you. So let's begin by checking out exactly what this method entails.
What Is The Sealed Box Method?
The good thing about the sealed box method, Is that It can be used on a broad range of Items that're manufactured and packaged In a box containing a factory seal, and for the fact that the likelihood of Its success Is extremely high "when the SE'er takes the time to apply It In a strategic and calculated manner". The method Is not only suited to online stores to the likes of John Lewis, SteelSeries and Amazon, but It can also be used with "In-Store SEing by returning the box In person at the customer service counter", which In my experience, has a good chance of a favorable outcome due to the way they (at times) handle returns by placing It under the counter and dealing with It at a later time.
Another advantage, Is that there's no Initial outlay- you can use anything you like to replace the original Item In the box, thus you'll be making a 100% profit. Okay, here's how the sealed box method works. Let's say you're planning to SE a GPU (Graphics Card) from Amazon. You can send It back for a refund by using their "return options" (example: bought by mistake, no longer needed etc) but rather than returning the graphics card, you pack anything that you have lying around the house, and send that Instead of the GPU. Now as mentioned In the above paragraph, the method must be applied strategically, so It's not as simple as throwing anything In the box and dispatching It thereafter.
Firstly, "the Item that you're substituting, must weigh the same as the GPU" (or whatever Item you're SEing at the time) and of paramount Importance, Is to "seal the box precisely as per the manufacturer's packing". The objective, Is to not show any signs of tampering whatsoever with how you've opened and resealed the box, so when the company receives It, they'll assume that It hasn't been touched and put It back Into stock and refund your account with no questions asked. Another vital element, Is that "the box must be fully covered In cardboard on all 6 sides" and as such, Its contents cannot be viewed externally, therefore the rep/agent has no reason to Investigate your return. No doubt you're wondering how to effectively prepare the sealed box, so we'll have a look at that now.
How To Effectively Prepare The Sealed Box Method:
The success rate of the sealed box method, Is only as good as the way you prepare Its return. If you don't pay close attention to "how you open the box, hence break the seal or damage any part of Its outer packaging, then there's no point In going any further"- you've already damaged It, so It's of no use trying to put everything back together. If you haven't already realized, the methodology used to "open the box", Is just as Important as the steps taken to "close It"- they both work hand In hand and need to be performed to perfection, thereby resulting In a box that has no visual Inconsistencies In any way, shape or form. Put simply, "your resealed box must be an exact representation of the original".
So how do you pull It apart without leaving signs that It's been opened? Given there are countless products that come In all sorts of different packaging and seals, It's way beyond the scope of this tutorial to cater for the lot, so what you're about to read Is not based on any specific product, thus should only be used as a general guide when the time comes to hit your very own SE. Okay, prior to opening the sealed box, the first thing you must do Is "take a photo of where you plan to open It". You're not going to remember "precisely how It's sealed", therefore the photo will be your point of reference when assembling It back together again, and you'll compare your workmanship against the manufacturers- to make sure both are a carbon copy of each other.
Some products such as the latest IPhone (at the time of this guide) are wrapped In a clear film and the only way to access the box and grab the Item, Is to tear the film Itself. If this Is the case with yourself, "only peel a portion of the film" that's just enough to "slightly open the box and carefully slide the Item out". Do not remove the entire film- only the bare minimum that will allow you to access the Item whilst leaving the rest of the film firmly Intact. When you've successfully taken It out, simply Insert the useless Item and reseal It by using either a heat gun on the lowest temperature setting, or clear glue that does not leave any residue behind. Alternatively, a much better option Is to use a "heat sealer machine" from here or here, and also purchase the factory film from this site. Don't forget to refer to the photo that was captured before you began dismantling the packaging.
On the other hand, there are many products to the likes of a "laptop" that are solely packed In a box with the manufacturer's seal on the top and bottom that says something along the lines of "Check contents If seal Is broken"- which Is the first place the representative will look when checking your return. If It's easy to peel, fine, otherwise do not target the seal when opening the box, but rather focus on "where the box Is joined" with the objective to Identify the weakest and easiest point where It can be pulled apart without causing damage. Then put It back together by using a similar approach as per the example In the above paragraph. Bear In mind, "you're not working quickly to meet a deadline, so take all the time you need to complete your project". If need be, take an entire week! All In all, with patience and attention to detail, you will flawlessly finish the task at hand.
What To Expect With The Sealed Box Method:
What you've just had the pleasure of reading thus far, was all done within your own environment by formulating the sealed box method with precision In readiness for your attack vector- namely sending It to the company, and receiving a refund within ex-amount of business days. However, the moment your attack Is executed, you have very little to no control of what happens within the confines of the company, hence It's crucial to have a good understanding of how your claim Is handled by the reps. As a result, you can prepare yourself with critical thinking and If they hit you with all sorts of questions and requests, you'll be In a position to effectively tackle their demands. In order to do that, you need to be aware of a couple of events that "may" take place- which I've covered In the subtopics below, so be sure to read each one thoroughly.
Event One: The Box Is Possibly Opened & Checked
Even though you've resealed your box without any signs of Inconsistencies, for one reason or another, the rep/agent "may" open your return and check Its contents. As such, he'll realize that It's not the Item that they've Invoiced and sent you, so In circumstances like this, you need to be well-prepared with how you're going to respond when he starts questioning you. Making up an excuse Is a lot easier than you think, and what significantly helps solidify your response, Is that the box was (seemingly) sealed and untouched when you returned It. Let's take a step back and think about this from a legit standpoint "without any social engineering Involved". As already discussed and to keep It simple, I'll use Amazon as the company, and the GPU as the Item.
Remember: "This Is based on a legit purchase!". Okay, you've navigated to Amazon's website and bought the latest GPU for your computer and when the carrier dropped off your package, you didn't have the chance to open It, thereby It was left as Is next to your PC. A little while later, your wife arrived home and surprised you by giving the exact same one as a birthday gift, so you obviously didn't have the need to keep both GPUs, thus you've contacted Amazon, asked for a refund and they requested the Item be returned. Behind the scenes, the rep opened It and found an old hard disk and started asking you all sorts of questions. You've Innocently replied by saying: "I have no Idea how that could be, I've returned exactly what you've sent me".
As a genuine and honest customer, you had nothing to hide and told the compete truth and what justified your story, Is that "the box was sealed with no Indication of tampering" and as a result, your account was reimbursed for the full cost of the GPU. Given this happened with a legit purchase, how Is It any different to SEing under the same circumstances? I can tell you that they're both Identical, and If you treat your SE In a genuine manner, expect the outcome to work In your favor. Looking at the entire scenario from a social engineering perspective, another SE'er did what you're planning to do- "used the sealed box method and you purchased his return". So If the representative decides to open the box, remain adamant by saying: "I've returned what you've sent me". It will be very difficult (If not Impossible) for him to prove otherwise.
Event Two: Another Customer Will Receive Your Return
Firstly and before coming to a close, I'll recap briefly on what you've learned so far. You've purchased an Item and replaced It with something useless of equal weight, then sealed the box perfectly as per Its original factory state. You then sent It back for a refund. The rep assessed It and did not find any signs of tampering, so he credited your account. Your return was then placed back Into stock awaiting to be sold. What happens from this point forward, tends to worry a lot of social engineers- for the fact that "another customer will purchase their return at a later date" and as such, the SEers believe that It will be traced back to them but as you will see shortly, there's absolutely no cause for concern.
So here's the situation as events unfold. For the purpose of this tutorial, (once again) I'll use the "GPU" as the example. Sometime after your claim was finalized, a customer places an order for a GPU and Inevitably buys your return that you SEd a few weeks beforehand. After he opened the box, much to his surprise, It contained an old nonfunctional Item (being "your return") that wasn't worth a single penny, so he Immediately calls the company and explains what just happened. The rep decides to do an Internal Investigation, by cross-checking the order number with the account's department- to see when they received the GPU and most Importantly, to verify that It was In fact Invoiced to the customer who's questioning the goods.
However, their systems show that It's a "returned Item" with the "previous buyer being you". As a result, there a (slight) possibility that you will be contacted and asked to explain yourself. Sounds pretty Intense and scary, yes? Quite the contrary! Firstly, you are not obligated to sit there and justify your actions just because the representative has asked you to do so. You have every right to prematurely end the call on a good note by saying: "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're referring to and why you're asking all these questions. Have a good day". That's where It ends- you weren't rude nor did you hang up the phone abruptly, and also politely pleaded Ignorance to all questions and concerns, hence It didn't raise any suspicion whatsoever.
In Conclusion:
Unlike some traditional methods used In today's standards of "company manipulation and exploitation", the sealed box method has the possibility of triggering a series of events (to your disadvantage) sometime after you've returned It- namely If the representative opens the box, or (as you've just read above) a buyer purchases your return and questions It. Essentially, you need to be prepared with how you plan to execute your next move. That's the reason why I've written a very In depth article- to give you the skill set and know-how to effectively tackle such Incidents and events, therefore you'll be well equipped to handle everything that comes your way. So do take each topic under advisement, and use your learning experience when opting for the sealed box method.
