Irrespective of who you're social engineering at the time, be It physically attending a store at your local mall with the Intention to manipulate the employee to give you an In-store credit by using a fake receipt as proof of purchase, or perhaps wanting to obtain a refund from Amazon by returning a sealed box that seemingly contains the original Item, they all require a strategic and calculated approach to get the job done right. In other words, you must have a "plan" In place to Indicate how you're going to execute your attack vector, Inclusive of how to deal with and bypass obstacles, right through to achieving your objective- the SE working In your favor. In social engineering parlance, the "plan" Is known as a "method" which plays an Integral role In determining where the SE Is heading and of equal Importance, decides the outcome- whether It succeeds or fails.
If you haven't worked It out already, the entity that I'm referring to Is "company manipulation and exploitation" and unlike well-known SEs that are used to grab confidential Information, this type of SEing only relates to accomplishing two things- "refunds" and "replacement Items". If you've been In the scene for quite a number of years, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, I strongly recommend that you read my Beginner's Guide To SE'ing prior to going any further with this article. On the grounds that you're familiar with social engineering online stores, you'd be well acquainted with the traditional methods like the "DNA" and "missing Item" and while you're aware of what to do on your end, you have no control of the actions that representatives decide to take during the course of your SE, which brings me to my next point.
In order to hit your target successfully, It's paramount that you formulate your method by covering every angle and leaving nothing to chance but even If you've prepared It In a flawless manner, there will be a series of events that Inevitably come your way from the rep who's handling your claim. For example, how many times have you experienced an "Investigation" when performing the DNA method? This Is standard procedure with the DNA, hence It's simply part of company protocol to move forward with the claim, so there's no Issues with what to expect. But what about events that you're totally unaware of? If you have no Idea how to tackle and respond to unforeseen circumstances, they can well and truly ruin your SE!
That's what prompted me to write this guide- namely pertaining to what to expect when using the "wrong Item received method". I will demonstrate a few common Incidents that're likely to come your way when using the wrong Item received method, therefore you can effectively address each one and significantly minimize suspicion being raised. I will also show you how to circumvent each event, by providing examples that you can easily relate to. But before I get Into that, It's vital to have a clear understanding of what the method entails, as well as how It's used with your attack vector so without further delay, let's check It out now.
What Is The Wrong Item Received Method?
As Its name Implies, this Is used to say that when you received the package (that was delivered by the carrier) and opened It, a wrong Item was enclosed to what you originally ordered. Of course, you did receive the correct one, but obviously stating otherwise for SEing purposes. As opposed to other methods such as the "missing Item", "partial" and "leaking battery" that must be based on the nature of the Item, the wrong Item received Is quite the contrary. In fact, It's considered a "Universal Method", and with very good reason. Allow me to elaborate further. It doesn't matter who the company Is, they all have a warehouse with an Inventory of stock ready to be picked, packaged and dispatched to their customers. As such, human error Is Inevitable when picking & packing an order, thus you can SE just about any Item you like.
However, as simple as It may sound, you cannot choose the first Item (as the "wrong Item") that comes to mind and expect the SE to work. Sure, there are times when representatives are half-asleep on the job or perhaps couldn't care less about complying with their terms & guidelines and approve the SE'ers request with no questions asked, but for the most part, they do thoroughly check claims prior to Issuing refunds and replacements. As a result, to give the SE the best chance of success, It's of the utmost Importance to apply the method In a systematic manner, by "being selective with the nature of the wrong Item that you've apparently received". I've covered this In the next topic, so you'll see exactly what I'm referring to.
Request To Return The Item:
In my experience when using the wrong Item received method against companies of all shapes and sizes, after contacting their rep/agent and Informing him of the error, almost each and every one asked me to return the wrong Item. This Is typical of how they process claims when using this method and until they receive It, your SE will come to a standstill. Because of that, It's crucial to "buy a very cheap Item from the same company and use that as the wrong Item that you'll be returning", and here's how you do It. Let's say your SEing an SSD (Solid State Drive). The first thing you need to do, Is take note of Its "precise weight". You will see why this Is Important In the topic named "An External Investigation Opened" a little further down the page. Next, you buy a wrong Item from the same company that "matches the weight of the SSD". This must be done on a "separate account" and sent to "another address". All In all, you now have the wrong Item In readiness for Its return, and you'll see why you've prepared It that way as per the topic below.
The Item Scanned When Received:
In terms of major organizations that operate on a large scale such as Argos and Amazon, they all work on a scanning system when dispatching & receiving consignments, thereby their Inventory Is kept up-to-date, and they have the exact (or very close to) the amount of stock that's on hand- by description and quantity. Further to the topic above, when you send your wrong Item, their Inwards goods department will scan It to make sure that It does In fact belong to them, hence this Is why "you've purchased the wrong Item from them!". They'll see that It's theirs and assume that they did make a mistake by sending that, Instead of your original Item. And because you purchased the wrong Item "on a separate account and sent to another address", they cannot link It back to you. Can you see why It's vital to formulate all the above? Good. You should have no problem getting a refund/replacement thereafter. Now some companies have certain measures In place that can cause huge Issues for the SE'er, so we'll have a look at that next.
An Internal Investigation Opened:
Regardless of the online store you're social engineering at the time, It Is quite common for an "Internal Investigation" to be opened whilst your claim Is being processed. The objective Is to try and establish why you (seemingly) did not receive the Item you ordered, and to pinpoint where the error occurred. Some companies have CCTV cameras actively monitoring their warehouse- namely their packing procedures right before orders are dispatched to their customers. This Is excellent from a legit standpoint, but It can have a significant negative Impact for the SE'er when using the wrong Item received method. Here's what I mean. Generally speaking, In modern warehousing, the cameras are located right above the packing tables, and record every Item (by description & quantity) as the storeperson Is packing them In the box and sealing It In preparation to be delivered. If you've said that another Item was In the package when the carrier dropped It off , they'll refer to their CCTV footage and Identify that the correct one was packed and sent, therefore your SE will fail.
You're probably thinking that It's virtually Impossible to bypass detection and guess what? You're absolutely correct! However, It's not about circumventing the cameras, but rather render their footage Inconclusive and the way you do It, Is by saying "upon opening the box, much to my surprise, a different Item was enclosed". The operative words are: "opening the box". Essentially, It's a factory/manufacturer error, whereby they made a mistake and put a wrong Item In the box. In other words, you received the correct box but It contained a different Item. Now this part Is very Important, so pay attention. "The box must not have any clear film/window- It must be only wrapped In cardboard" and as such, the CCTV cameras obviously cannot detect what's Inside, thus when the company looks at the footage, they'll only see the box and It's description "but not Its contents!". Ultimately, the footage Is deemed Inconclusive and there's no way they can determine "what Item was In the box" when your order was dispatched.
An External Investigation Opened:
As opposed to an Internal Investigation that happens within the company Itself, an external Investigation Is when they contact the carrier to check the details on their end. To prevent the company from finding Inconsistencies, It's Imperative that the weight of your wrong Item matches with your original Item that you purchased. For Instance, when an external Investigation Is opened, the company will liaise with the carrier and cross-check their records namely the "weight" and If that matches with the weight of the wrong Item that you claimed to have received, then they have no grounds to try and decline your claim.
Here's a breakdown of what I'm referring to. Let's say the Item that you're SEing Is a "Remington hair dryer that weighs 900 grams". You've bought the "wrong Item and that also weighs 900 grams". As per the company's request, you've returned the wrong Item. They've checked the weight of your wrong Item, and compared It with the weight of the package (containing the hair dryer) that was recorded at the carrier's depot, just before It was delivered to you. Both are "900 grams" and because they match, the company will assume that they've sent the wrong Item, hence there's no evidence to reject your claim.
Unlikely Events:
It's not only Important to know the events that you'll most likely experience when using the wrong Item received method but of equal significance, Is to have knowledge of those that rarely occur, yet can happen from time to time. "Why Is that" you ask? Well, throughout countless years of personally SEing companies on every level, many representatives decided to send documents to be signed & returned- most of which had no relevance whatsoever to the nature of my claim. Now If I proceeded with their request(s), It would've been a waste of time, and also would have drawn my attention away from the real Issues that needed to be promptly addressed at the time. The aim of this topic, Is to make you aware of two unrelated bits of paperwork that you "may be asked to complete" whilst your claim Is In progress and as such, you can refuse to put pen to paper- based on the fact that you have every right to question why the rep has given you the documents, namely to justify the reason for his actions. He won't be able to! So let's have a look at the first one.
A Police Report Requested
If you've used the "DNA" or the "box method" on a number of occasions, I'd say It's very safe to assume that you were asked to file a police report at some stage of your SE, correct? I thought as much. Many SE'ers panic when they receive a notification for this, but I can assure you that It's simply part of company protocol to move forward with the claim and nothing more- but the request for this must warrant, justify and necessitate why It's required by the representative. For example, when a (suspected) crime has been committed, such as your package was stolen from your doorstep when you used the DNA method, or someone took your Item when the package was In transit with the box method, It's perfectly fine for the rep to ask for a police report. However, when It has nothing to do with a "crime-related" Incident to the likes of the wrong Item received method (whereby It's a company or manufacturer error), then It's totally Inappropriate and unacceptable. There's no theft Involved, so there's absolutely no reason to ask you to sign It.
Asked To Sign An Affidavit
This Is yet another ridiculous request, that many companies believe Is necessary when processing your claim due to the wrong Item (seemingly) dispatched from their warehouse. Before I briefly discuss my reasoning behind this, I'll explain what an "affidavit" Is and the circumstances of when the company has the right to ask you to sign It. Put simply and without the legal jargon, It's used to confirm that the Information you've provided about the "Incident of your SE", Is In fact true & correct. As with a police report, an affidavit Is often Issued when the DNA method Is used, that Is, claiming that your package was stolen. Notice how I've quoted "Incident of your SE" just above? That's because something happened on your end (such as your package stolen), thus the need to confirm It by signing the affidavit. Now the question Is: "What has this got to do with the company sending you a wrong Item?". I'll answer It for you- "nothing!". They made the error, not you, so an affidavit Is completely Irrelevant to the wrong Item received method.
In Conclusion:
What you've just had the pleasure of reading pertaining to what to expect with the wrong Item received method, Is based on "probabilities", meaning things that are "more likely to happen". Sure, there are many other events that exist, but that relates to "possibilities", whereby the likelihood Is slim. I'm the type of SE'er who works with reality and facts based on personal experience, and not some fanciful stories that I've Googled containing all sorts of contradictory and misleading Information. You now have the knowledge of the events that may come your way with the wrong Item received method, so use It to your advantage with each and every SE.
