Whether you're an advanced SE'er or looking to get Into the scene, you may find this a little hard to believe, but social engineering what first recognized In the late 1800s, but It's not to say that It didn't exist a lot earlier. You see,
people have been SEing for centuries without even knowing It, such as politicians and world leaders using manipulative tactics (lying, broken promises etc) to earn the trust of voters and defeat their opposition.
As time went by, a lot changed with how It's defined and used, but a new form of social engineering that's unbeknownst to many SE'ers, experts Included, Is:
"The art of company manipulation and exploitation". And associated with this, Is an array of
"methods" that're unique and very powerful In achieving their objective- one of which Is:
"The Gift Method".
I bet If you mention this method to elite SE'ers, such as Kevin Mitnick, he'd be at a complete loss as to what you're talking about and will probably take It as a joke but believe me, It's nothing of the sort. Unlike other traditional methods like the DNA and wrong Item received,
the "gift method" Is a lot more superior and effective- namely because there's no Investment Involved. That Is, you don't need to pay a single dime to begin with for an Item that you're planning to SE.
I've come across many social engineers who do not have any funds In their account, yet want to SE a given Item for a full refund and although this may sound somewhat Impossible,
It's well and truly achievable and for the most part, has a great chance of success when formulated and executed accordingly . So what exactly Is the
"gift method?". I'm glad you've asked! Let's briefly check It out now.
The Gift Method Defined:
Have you ever received a gift as a birthday or wedding present only to find that upon opening It, you had no Interest whatsoever In keeping It and as a result, Immediately thew It In the trash? I'd say It's safe to assume that your answer Is
"Yes". Well, Instead of disposing It, you could've returned the Item to the store of where It was purchased (obviously without a receipt) and they'd give you either a refund, replacement or In-store credit.
The "gift method" works In a similar fashion- with the only difference being "you don't have an Item to return, but rather convince the company that you do!".
If you're an advanced social engineer, you'd know precisely what I'm referring to but as a beginner, I'm sure you're completely lost as to how such a method can be performed and to be honest, I understand where you're coming from. Rest assured, I will explain how It's accomplished and
by the time you finish reading this entire article, you too, can execute the "gift method" against just about any company, Irrespective of Its nature. This Is what I aim to achieve- to give you a clear picture of what It entails, and how to solidify Its success. So without further delay, we'll have a look at how It's done.
The Gift Method SE In Action:
For the purpose of this tutorial, I will be referencing the social engineer from a third-person point of view, and not yourself. It's also not relative to any type of specific Item, nor does It mention how and where the Item was (seemingly) obtained,
thus you can use what you're about to read as a general guide and apply It to your SE as you see fit. So let's begin.
When the social engineer claims that an Item Is faulty and was (seemingly) purchased from the company of whom he's SEing, before the company can Issue a refund or replacement, they will (where warranted) go through a few troubleshooting steps. When they're satisfied that the Item Is not working, they'll request the SE'er to provide a
"POP (Proof Of Purchase)". Evidently,
he does not have It, but he's well-prepared and knows what to expect.
This procedure Is simply used to verify that the product was purchased from the company In question. Here's how It generally works.
When the social engineer wants to refund the Item that he doesn't have to begin with, he'll avoid sending the POP by saying that he "received the Item as a gift", and that the gifter didn't see the need to keep the POP, so he also doesn't have It. After all, why would anyone keep a POP after they've given Its respective Item as a gift? If you like, you can use this excuse when performing your SE.
As such, the company will then ask to return the (faulty) Item, with the objective of sending a replacement, or generating a refund Into the SE'ers account.
Remember, the social engineer does not have the Item, so obviously he cannot return It. To get around this, all the SE'er has to do, Is use the
"Box Method" as per my post
here. In short, he'll make out as though he's sent the Item, but It was stolen during transit.
As long as the company Is responsible for loss of goods during shipment, and are convinced that It was In fact stolen at some point during the delivery process, then they'll Issue a refund/replacement thereafter. It doesn't get much easier than that.
In Conclusion:
As you can see, the "gift method" Is extremely easy to prepare and execute and
provided you've boxed the company correctly, then you can't go wrong with obtaining a refund or replacement. Of course,
the Item must still be under warranty and In terms of the refund Itself, It needs to comply with the company's policy. For example, some have a 30-day refund policy, so It's crucial to perform your SE within this period.
In closing,
the gift method can also be used with an Item that you have (and Is part of the company's Inventory) but was not purchased from them, however It's way beyond the scope of this article to cover It In detail. This has already exceeded Its reading time, so I'll leave It at that. Prior to your SE, do remember to
research the company's terms to see If they're responsible for loss of goods, and to also Identify their replacement & refund policy.
