So you've been social engineering for many years to date, and operate on an Intermediate to advanced level and have hit countless companies to the likes of ASOS, Logitech and Amazon by manipulating their representatives Into performing an action that they're not supposed to do- credit your account while you still get to keep the purchased Item, or dispatch a replacement at no extra charge. You've also Inevitably come across your fair share of complexities whilst your claim was being assessed, whereby Investigations were opened, police reports asked to be filed and returned, and the same with statutory declarations. Given your level of experience, you well and truly know that such requests are simply part of company protocol to move forward with your claim, so there's no cause for concern.
On the other hand, there were a number of occasions when you SEd a few Items here and there, and after having researched the company's terms & conditions and Implementing a perfect Item & method formulation, Inclusive of executing a flawless attack vector, there was no need to do anything more on your end- your claim was approved on the spot with hardly any questions querying your request for a refund. No doubt this refers to "company manipulation and exploitation" and as discussed In the above paragraph, It predominantly Involves dealing with (and circumventing) quite a few obstacles to achieve your objective- which can be an arduous task If you're not prepared to push your SE to Its absolute limit.
What you've just read, Is social engineering from one extreme to the other, meaning some SEs will take days, weeks or perhaps months until the outcome works In your favor, whilst others are quite the opposite- they're accepted almost Instantly, and barely require any effort on your part. When this happens, It's a huge confidence booster for the SEer which can significantly help manipulate and combat negative events with future SEs but unfortunately, claims that're Immediately approved are few and far between- meaning they only occur every so often. To this day, I'm still being asked as to why some refunds are generated within a few hours of being In contact with the rep/agent, while "others of the very same nature and against the very same company", are dragged for an extended period of time.
Given every SE Is taken on a case-by-case basis, It's not possible to provide a definitive answer for each and every online retailer that you're planning to social engineer- there are too many variables Involved, hence I cannot (nor can anyone else) be precise and cater for the way all companies structure their claims management staff. But what I will do, Is document the most common reasons why representatives and other entities simply put the stamp of approval (so to speak) on your claim with minimal queries, questions and concerns. What you're about to read from this point forward, Is not tied to any specifics, so be sure to use the Information contained In each topic as a general, yet accurate guide. In a nutshell, the purpose of this article, Is to outline "why some SEs are finalized without Issues not long after you get In touch with the rep/agent or any other relative source", so let's get this started.
Representatives Who Don't Care:
Irrespective of whether companies operate on a very large scale by processing thousands of orders & claims each day, or those that only have a handful of employees working In the administration/ Invoicing department, they all have one thing In common In how they assess claims- by "following company protocol and guidelines". For Instance, let's say you're SEing "Nike" by using the "missing Item method" on a pair of trainers with a weight of 1.2 Kg. It will register a weight on consignment, thus It's too heavy for the said method, but your claim was nonetheless finalized In your favor within the same day and your funds were reimbursed thereafter.
However upon attempting a similar SE with Nike against a product of equal weight as the trainers, much to your surprise, they opened an Investigation with the carrier by cross-checking the weight recorded at their depot and deemed that your Item was not missing, therefore your claim was declined. So why Is It that on one hand your SE worked with hardly any complications, but on the other hand, the rep decided to go through your claim with a fine-tooth comb and disapprove It? Well, for one reason or another, "some representatives couldn't care less about complying with their guidelines" and simply Issue refunds/replacements without checking If It's warranted.
Perhaps It's their last day on the job and they've got nothing to lose, or the promotion they applied for was denied by their manager, therefore they've taken revenge on their boss by approving every claim. Whatever the case may be, these are a couple of countless reasons why your SE Is accepted on the spot. I've used "Nike" as the example, due to the fact that there's a fluctuation with their clams management process- at times they can be the biggest pain by looking at every minute detail, while other occasions their reps do quite the opposite and don't delve Into the circumstances at their disposal. So If you're wondering why your previous SE succeeded, yet the one straight after It (that was almost Identical) failed, one possibility Is that the rep/agent finalized the claim purely at his discretion.
Company Not Responding To PayPal Disputes/Claims:
Let's face It, social engineering Isn't all sunshine and rainbows. You may have researched everything there Is to know about your target, formulated your method against your findings and executed your attack by leaving nothing to chance, however due to circumstances beyond your control, your SE can fail at the best of times. As a result, you'll do everything In your power to try and resurrect It by hitting the reps with every manipulative tactic you can think of, such as using the boxing method when a return Is requested, or contacting the company a few days later and speaking with another rep- hoping that he won't refer to previous records and approve your claim.
Unfortunately, when reps/agents remain adamant and refuse to budge with their decision, there's nothing more you can do to "directly SE the company Itself", but If you have a PayPal account (If not, now Is the best time to create one!), you can file what's called a "dispute" through PayPal's Resolution Center and that will then get escalated to a "claim"- with the Intention to have PayPal reverse the transaction and credit your account for the cost of the purchase Item. In order to do that, they'll contact the company and collect details about your claim, however "some companies do not respond to PayPal disputes/claims" which ultimately means that your SE will result In your favor.
I've personally experienced many companies who did not bother liaising with PayPal, and because their lack of communication was obviously no fault of my own, PayPal had no choice but to reimburse my funds back Into my account. I often get asked why certain companies neglect PayPal altogether, and although there's no direct answer that can speak for every company's actions, I can name a couple of commonalities that're based on general terms. If you're SEing a low value Item somewhere In the 20$- 50$ range, It's cheaper to mark It as an "Instant tax write-off" than having to spend money on resources and manpower to pursue the claim with PayPal. Speaking of resources and manpower, some companies cannot afford to allocate any due to their Intense workload, thus PayPal requests are Ignored. Either way, It's the SE'er who benefits under these circumstances by having their claim approved In no time at all.
PayPal Only Requiring The Tracking ID For Approval:
It's quite clear why many social engineers opt for PayPal as the preferred payment system not only for themselves, but also when providing a refunding service to less experienced SE'ers In the form of bypassing the need to return an Item by putting the "tracking number" Into action. Before I begin, do note that Its success & failure rate Is equally divided at 50% but If you're going to use It for your very own SE, you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain- should the outcome work In your favor. Allow me to explain It In layman's terms as follows. When you've filed a dispute/claim with PayPal and you're Instructed to return your Item to the company In question, PayPal sometimes reverses the transaction and refunds your account "when they receive tracking confirmation that your package Is on Its way (In transit) to the company".
In other words, all they require Is "the tracking number" that shows the consignor (sender) and consignee (receiver) details, regardless of whether your package has reached Its destination- being the company who's awaiting your return. Remember: You're not sending your Item back, only the package with the tracking details so to give the SE the best chance of success, It's crucial to contact PayPal the moment you receive the tracking number and Immediately forward It to them. As such, PayPal will be under the Impression that you've done the right thing by returning your Item, hence they'll use the tracking Info to verify the shipment and put the money back Into your account. This approach Is used by many refunders to easily approve claims for their clients.
Automated Approval With Chat Bots:
What you're about to read relating to "chat bots" only applies to very few companies, but nevertheless, It's Imperative to have knowledge of how It operates- namely because the largest eCommerce company being "Amazon", utilizes chat bot technology to handle and process claim-related enquiries. After all, SE'ers of all shapes and sizes (beginner to advanced) hit Amazon every so often, thus the Importance to familiarize yourself with what to expect when being passed onto a chat bot. It works very similar to speaking with a real person, but Instead, the bot will assess your claim and If It believes a refund or replacement Is justified, It will approve It there and then.
Given every SE differs to some degree and the fact that no two are ever alike, It's not possible to be specific on how chatbots evaluate each and every claim but what I can confidently say, It that the bot "tends to" (at times) Instantly approve them with very low value Items- anything around $20 or $30 (give or take a few dollars). There's a lot of reasons why this happens, one of which Is cutting back costs by not wasting money and resources on representatives who're paid by the hour and will most likely process the claim In the same manner, so It makes perfect sense to automate It through the chat bot. If the Item Is In the mid to high value range, you may find that the bot will Initially handle your claim, and then pass It over to a rep/agent for further assessment but for cheap Items, the advantage of dealing with a chat bot right from the get-go, speaks for Itself.
The Cost Of The Item/Freight Is Not Worthy Of A Return:
As stated In the above topic, you're well aware of why companies (sometimes) prefer not to exhaust the usual channels when receiving claims for Inexpensive Items, so there's no point repeating what you already know. That aside and as per a portion of this topic's title, I will discuss one particular reason why some claims (that also relate to low value Items) are easily finalized In the SE'ers favor- which Is "the cost of freight" when you'd normally return your goods for a refund/replacement. What this means Is and as an example, their carrier partner will charge the company ex-amount of dollars to transport your return and If the amount exceeds the value of the Item by a lot more than what It's worth, the company will seek a much cheaper alternative- such as a "POP" (Proof Of Purchase) or a POD (Proof Of Destruction).
It doesn't cost a single dime to send a POP/POD as an email attachment and from a company's standpoint, It's enough to deem a claim conclusive, thereby It serves the same purpose as returning the product but In this case, a heck of a lot cheaper! If you need to create a fake POP, I recommend using this online service, but If the company your SEing Is not listed there, simply purchase something that's only a couple of dollars or so, and use that proof of purchase as a template by manipulating It according to the nature of your SE. With regard to a POD, just click on the link and follow my tutorial on how to apply It- If and when the need comes to hand. Before I conclude this article, I shall outline one more reason (as per the topic below) why certain SEs are finalized on the spot.
Inundated With Orders & Claims:
Companies that operate on a large scale such as Amazon, work flat out during business hours to meet heavy demands with orders and claims and as a result, they struggle to find the manpower to keep up with the workload In both their administration and warehouse departments. Social engineers who've been In the scene for a number of years are well-Informed of this, hence to add to their already busy and hectic environment and to maximize their SE's success rate, they're selective with the "timing" of when to execute the SE- namely the busiest time of the year being Easter, Black Friday and the Christmas period.
As an SE'er yourself, hitting your target In the above-mentioned times, will multiply the company's workload tenfold, thus the probability of your claim being "easily approved" due to the Influx of orders and customer requests significantly Increases- all because they will not have the time and resources to thoroughly check every claim. Now before I cover each event (Easter, Black Friday and Christmas), I'd like to make It clear that I'm not suggesting that you should only perform your SEs during those periods- that would be unwise and a pretty silly approach. What I am saying, Is If you're planning to SE a "very high value Item" or perhaps you're looking to "double-dip" (SE the same Item twice from the same company), execute It during either of those time frames. Makes sense? Good! So let's begin with the "Festive Season".
The Festive Season
Rather than solely dedicated to Christmas, the title of this topic reads "The Festive Season" for a very good reason, for the fact that the season begins late November, and finishes sometime after January In the following year. Essentially, you have around 4 weeks to social engineer from one company to the next but In this time frame, there are a couple of extremely busy periods that you should be mostly focusing on. This first Is "a day or two before Christmas day", and the second Is on "Boxing Day Itself", and here's why you'd opt for either or both.
In terms of the first one, there's always last-minute shoppers who buy gifts on Christmas Eve or a day prior to that. In regard to Boxing Day, retailers want to get rid of their left over Christmas stock, and I can tell you that stores are absolutely packed with customers, which means that staff tend to take shortcuts when processing returns, therefore refunds/replacements are Issued with Incredible ease and for the most part, with very little questions asked.
Easter Period
Although this cannot be compared to the amount of sales generated as per the Festive Season above, by no means Is It excluded from being one of the best times to perform your SEs, however you need to be strategic with the days you decide to execute your attack. For example, depending on what part of the globe you're located, Easter holidays are scheduled every year and as such, people take a break from their everyday life of work and stress, by going on vacation for a few days or so. Because of that, stores are quieter than usual and (to a degree) the same with online shopping, so "you'd need to completely avoid SEing during those periods".
What I recommend Is to SE a week or so before Good Friday, whereby consumers predominantly go on a shopping spree to purchase Easter goodies/baskets for family & friends, Inclusive of themselves and If school holidays coincide with Easter In your locality, go ahead with your SE. The benefit of SEing during these times from an "In-store" perspective, Is that there's an array of ads on TV demonstrating what's on offer at selected stores, which also Includes toys and gadgets for children, hence kids nag their mom to attend the local mall. When you combine thousands of situations like this to every family, you'll find that shops have an Influx of customers, so the advantage of SEing under these circumstances, Is quite obvious. Of course, buying on the Internet Is also part of this equation.
Black Friday
Without a shadow of a doubt, Black Friday should always be part of your social engineering routine each and every year, and although It's traditionally recognized In the United States as the busiest shopping day of the year (falling on the Friday after Thanksgiving), It's spread to other countries such as the UK, Italy, Australia, Sweden, Brazil, Ireland, Germany and more. Going by personal experience over the past decade, I can confidently say that online and In-store Black Friday deals & bargains, attract an extreme amount of traffic from consumers wanting to snatch the best deals as quick as possible.
As a result, warehouse, administration departments and sales teams all struggle to keep up with demands- which makes It an Ideal opportunity for every SE'er to make the most of the store's Incapacity to process claims accordingly. Inevitably, there's simply not enough time nor do they have the manpower to thoroughly assess every claim, thus many are approved not long after they're received. So If you're planning to hit a mid to high value Item, there's every chance that your SE will succeed with minimal disruptions during Black Friday.
In Conclusion:
Without question, SEing takes an exception set of skills to effectively manipulate your target to the point of refunding your account or having a replacement Item dispatched- especially when representatives work strictly by the book by following company protocol but as you've realized, It's not always the case. What you've learned from this article, Is a few common events that're responsible for claims being easily approved not long after their assessment. Sure, there are many other scenarios that trigger Instant approvals, but I've purely focused on those (as per each topic above) that you, as an SE'er, will definitely experience perhaps on a number of occasions throughout your social engineering activities.
