Post by DIzzIE on Jul 14, 2003 22:04:15 GMT -5
FREE ELECTRONICS or THE ‘DUMMY PAYLOAD RETURN SCAM’
BY: DIzzIE [c]opyleft2003
What?
To summarize briefly, this scam will allow you to get free electronics as well as other boxed goods (anything from widescreen television sets and computers to office chairs and stereos) by replacing the box’s contents with a dummy payload and then returning it.
A more in depth explanation follows the Materials section.
Materials
* Box Carton Top Stapler
* Scale
* Various types of packaging tape
* Bricks/Cinderblocks
* Quick drying glue
* Wire cutters/sharp scissors
* A significant amount of cash (to start with)
Notes Regarding the Materials
While the initial amount of money required to perpetrate this scam may be a bit high (running upwards of $1000-2000) rest assured that you will start seeing an ever-increasing profit after your second pull.
The carton stapler is the most expensive item on the list, and will cost you several hundred dollars. Rest assured that this is a worthy investment which will pay for itself as we shall see. Chances are unlikely that your local hardware store will have a carton stapler and thus you must turn to other mediums (nonetheless asking the hardware clerk anyway). Luckily various internet retailers sell these staplers, simply typing in something along the lines of ‘top carton stapler’ or ‘box carton stapler’ into Google should yield some useful results like www.stapleheadquarters.com/Page21.html and machinerunner.com/Top-Carton-Air-Staplers/Salco-BA-35-Air.html. Popular models include the SALCO BA and the various high-end Duo Fast models. Once again, keep in mind that the money spent on the stapler will be well reimbursed.
A scale is not required but is recommended for the perfectionist. Depending on the weight of your chosen item a standard $20 bathroom scale from eBay may or may not suffice (you may have to count the number of times the arrow goes in a complete circle…).
The packaging tape (which will depend on the kind of tape on the original box, if any) may of course be obtained at nearly any hardware store (as well as the glue and wire cutters) or from your local postal centre.
The bricks or cinder blocks (used for their size/weight) may be found at various construction sites or, if need be, purchased at the hardware store.
If you do not have a sufficient supply of cash, borrow from a friend, assuring them that they will be graciously compensated/repaid.
How?
Hopefully by now you have already come to the realization of what you will need to do, but let’s go over the steps just to make sure.
Step 1: Select an electronics store that is a good distance away from your place of residence (preferably the next town being a minimum distance) that you will never go to again.
Step 2: Select your large electronics device of choice, whether it be a television, computer, etc…However, as your first purchase it is recommended that you select a device that comes in the easiest box to open without notice (for example, just staples versus tape and staples).
Step 3: When purchasing an item (it is suggested that you buy one at a time) pay with cash and for added security disguise your features by means of hair dieing, wearing a hat or/and sunglasses, fake earrings, etc…
Step 4: When taking the purchased merchandise to your automobile, kindly refuse any offerings from the employees to help you carry/load the merchandise, and be sure to park away from cameras.
Step 5: Take the merchandise to your home.
Step 6: Now you must open the box whilst instilling absolutely no damage to the box. To remove the heavy-duty staples (preferably from the bottom of the box, turning the box upside down) you may use your own technique, but one relatively simple method involves using the wire cutters to cut through the top of each staple at the two points where it goes into the box cover (thus forming a cut-out “-” segment, rendering the staple useless, thus opening the box flap).
If there is also tape on the box, you have a choice as to how you wish to remove it. If the tape is not transparent you may either slowly remove it entirely (to retape anew later) or simply slice the tape open (to retape a new top layer later). If the tape is transparent remove it carefully, as you will be reattaching it later.
Step 7: Weight the merchandise and obtain enough bricks to match the weight as closely as possible (you may even wish to construct a crude homemade balance “T”-shaped scale, or a see-saw type design).
Step 8: Tape the bricks together to prevent their tumbling about inside the box when it is being moved.
Step 9: Having carefully taken out the merchandise, carefully place the dummy load (the taped bricks) inside the box. Whether you choose to keep the inner packaging (Styrofoam, air bags, plastic bags, etc..) is entirely up to you and depends largely on what you plan to do with the scammed merchandise afterwards. Personally, I would recommend keeping it…
Step 10: Now that the dummy payload is inside, it’s time to reseal the box. Use your new carton stapler to staple the box flaps shut, matching the original staple holes as closely as possible. For the tape, if you merely cut through it, simply apply a new coat of tape. If peeled off entirely and the tape is transparent, place a thin coat of quick-drying glue, such as Krazy Glue, on the underside of the tape, and replace to match the original cardboard tear lines perfectly. Luckily, most large electronics boxes only have staples and not tape .
Step 11: Now (1-2 hours after the initial purchase) it’s time to return the “merchandise.” Simply approach the Customer Service/Returns Department with the receipt in-hand and the apparently unopened box (with the staples intact ) on a cart and you should have absolutely no problem getting your cash back. If asked for the reason of the return, feel free to recite a spiel about how your roommate/spouse bought the exact same thing earlier today! “..Soon as I got home and saw the new ___ turned around and headed back to the store…”
If you’re still having doubts about the scam due to the initial investment required in the purchase of the supplies (particularly the carton stapler) let us assume that the initial cost of the purchase was $1000 ($500 for the supplies and $500 for a tv). After returning the tv box you are on neutral ground with a $0 gain and $0 loss (having gotten your money for the tv back and the tv itself being worth the same amount as the supplies…). Thus after repeating this scam a second time at a different store (at a different location) your profits become positive, increasing with each time you perpetrate the scam. If you select to do this throughout a short period of time it may be all right to hit the same store branch in various locations, however if doing it over a long time it is recommended that you hit one branch fast and then move on to the next one, thus further ensuring your safety.
If you wish to resell the merchandise use the usual venues of organizing a garage sale, eBay, or selling to friends.
And of course, if you are uncomfortable stealing big items, you may also use the same idea for scamming smaller boxed items for which you will likely have to re-glue the top of the small box in place.
Enjoy your free electronics!
Addendum: It is important to add that due to the fact that numerous stores now issue checks when significant amounts of money are involved, hence, false identification aside, one may have to limit the scope of this scam to the aforementioned smaller (cheaper) items. Nonetheless this does not eliminate this scam, only slowing down its profit.
-
Standard Disclaimer: It is understood that the above is written for educational/informational/theoretical/entertainment purpose only. The poster does not accept any responsibility for any actions you may take and does not condone any activity which goes against the law.
-
BY: DIzzIE [c]opyleft2003
What?
To summarize briefly, this scam will allow you to get free electronics as well as other boxed goods (anything from widescreen television sets and computers to office chairs and stereos) by replacing the box’s contents with a dummy payload and then returning it.
A more in depth explanation follows the Materials section.
Materials
* Box Carton Top Stapler
* Scale
* Various types of packaging tape
* Bricks/Cinderblocks
* Quick drying glue
* Wire cutters/sharp scissors
* A significant amount of cash (to start with)
Notes Regarding the Materials
While the initial amount of money required to perpetrate this scam may be a bit high (running upwards of $1000-2000) rest assured that you will start seeing an ever-increasing profit after your second pull.
The carton stapler is the most expensive item on the list, and will cost you several hundred dollars. Rest assured that this is a worthy investment which will pay for itself as we shall see. Chances are unlikely that your local hardware store will have a carton stapler and thus you must turn to other mediums (nonetheless asking the hardware clerk anyway). Luckily various internet retailers sell these staplers, simply typing in something along the lines of ‘top carton stapler’ or ‘box carton stapler’ into Google should yield some useful results like www.stapleheadquarters.com/Page21.html and machinerunner.com/Top-Carton-Air-Staplers/Salco-BA-35-Air.html. Popular models include the SALCO BA and the various high-end Duo Fast models. Once again, keep in mind that the money spent on the stapler will be well reimbursed.
A scale is not required but is recommended for the perfectionist. Depending on the weight of your chosen item a standard $20 bathroom scale from eBay may or may not suffice (you may have to count the number of times the arrow goes in a complete circle…).
The packaging tape (which will depend on the kind of tape on the original box, if any) may of course be obtained at nearly any hardware store (as well as the glue and wire cutters) or from your local postal centre.
The bricks or cinder blocks (used for their size/weight) may be found at various construction sites or, if need be, purchased at the hardware store.
If you do not have a sufficient supply of cash, borrow from a friend, assuring them that they will be graciously compensated/repaid.
How?
Hopefully by now you have already come to the realization of what you will need to do, but let’s go over the steps just to make sure.
Step 1: Select an electronics store that is a good distance away from your place of residence (preferably the next town being a minimum distance) that you will never go to again.
Step 2: Select your large electronics device of choice, whether it be a television, computer, etc…However, as your first purchase it is recommended that you select a device that comes in the easiest box to open without notice (for example, just staples versus tape and staples).
Step 3: When purchasing an item (it is suggested that you buy one at a time) pay with cash and for added security disguise your features by means of hair dieing, wearing a hat or/and sunglasses, fake earrings, etc…
Step 4: When taking the purchased merchandise to your automobile, kindly refuse any offerings from the employees to help you carry/load the merchandise, and be sure to park away from cameras.
Step 5: Take the merchandise to your home.
Step 6: Now you must open the box whilst instilling absolutely no damage to the box. To remove the heavy-duty staples (preferably from the bottom of the box, turning the box upside down) you may use your own technique, but one relatively simple method involves using the wire cutters to cut through the top of each staple at the two points where it goes into the box cover (thus forming a cut-out “-” segment, rendering the staple useless, thus opening the box flap).
If there is also tape on the box, you have a choice as to how you wish to remove it. If the tape is not transparent you may either slowly remove it entirely (to retape anew later) or simply slice the tape open (to retape a new top layer later). If the tape is transparent remove it carefully, as you will be reattaching it later.
Step 7: Weight the merchandise and obtain enough bricks to match the weight as closely as possible (you may even wish to construct a crude homemade balance “T”-shaped scale, or a see-saw type design).
Step 8: Tape the bricks together to prevent their tumbling about inside the box when it is being moved.
Step 9: Having carefully taken out the merchandise, carefully place the dummy load (the taped bricks) inside the box. Whether you choose to keep the inner packaging (Styrofoam, air bags, plastic bags, etc..) is entirely up to you and depends largely on what you plan to do with the scammed merchandise afterwards. Personally, I would recommend keeping it…
Step 10: Now that the dummy payload is inside, it’s time to reseal the box. Use your new carton stapler to staple the box flaps shut, matching the original staple holes as closely as possible. For the tape, if you merely cut through it, simply apply a new coat of tape. If peeled off entirely and the tape is transparent, place a thin coat of quick-drying glue, such as Krazy Glue, on the underside of the tape, and replace to match the original cardboard tear lines perfectly. Luckily, most large electronics boxes only have staples and not tape .
Step 11: Now (1-2 hours after the initial purchase) it’s time to return the “merchandise.” Simply approach the Customer Service/Returns Department with the receipt in-hand and the apparently unopened box (with the staples intact ) on a cart and you should have absolutely no problem getting your cash back. If asked for the reason of the return, feel free to recite a spiel about how your roommate/spouse bought the exact same thing earlier today! “..Soon as I got home and saw the new ___ turned around and headed back to the store…”
If you’re still having doubts about the scam due to the initial investment required in the purchase of the supplies (particularly the carton stapler) let us assume that the initial cost of the purchase was $1000 ($500 for the supplies and $500 for a tv). After returning the tv box you are on neutral ground with a $0 gain and $0 loss (having gotten your money for the tv back and the tv itself being worth the same amount as the supplies…). Thus after repeating this scam a second time at a different store (at a different location) your profits become positive, increasing with each time you perpetrate the scam. If you select to do this throughout a short period of time it may be all right to hit the same store branch in various locations, however if doing it over a long time it is recommended that you hit one branch fast and then move on to the next one, thus further ensuring your safety.
If you wish to resell the merchandise use the usual venues of organizing a garage sale, eBay, or selling to friends.
And of course, if you are uncomfortable stealing big items, you may also use the same idea for scamming smaller boxed items for which you will likely have to re-glue the top of the small box in place.
Enjoy your free electronics!
Addendum: It is important to add that due to the fact that numerous stores now issue checks when significant amounts of money are involved, hence, false identification aside, one may have to limit the scope of this scam to the aforementioned smaller (cheaper) items. Nonetheless this does not eliminate this scam, only slowing down its profit.
-
Standard Disclaimer: It is understood that the above is written for educational/informational/theoretical/entertainment purpose only. The poster does not accept any responsibility for any actions you may take and does not condone any activity which goes against the law.
-
