On grounds that you're social engineering your target over the phone with the Intention to grab some type of personal Information, such as their date of birth or perhaps the login credentials to their Facebook account, you can mask your Identity and remain anonymous with Incredible ease. All that basically needs to be done Is to spoof the caller ID by using a service like Burner, and the person behind the voice will never be known to the victim. As an SE'er yourself, you'd be well aware of the simplicity of hiding who you are when using remote communications- just anonymize and terminate the gateway by ending the call, and you've disappeared without a trace. However, the same cannot be said when social engineering In a physical environment.
If you haven't already gathered by what the title of this post pertains to, I'm referring to SEing online stores to the likes of (obviously) Amazon, Currys, Zalando etc with the objective to obtain a refund or a replacement Item. If you play It smart, by allowing a sufficient gap between each SE, not opting for high value Items In succession and changing your methods regularly, then this will give the Impression that It's a legit claim and for the most part, It will not raise suspicion- even when using your real name and address. However, there are times when you must assume another Identity with a given SE or two- namely to ensure that your actions do not have an Impact on your personal profile.
It's pretty simple to use a fictitious family & given name when creating an account, but In terms of your residential address where packages will be sent, how do you hide the fact that you live there? Moreover, how and where do you physically accept a delivery by not disclosing your place of residence? Well, you do not nominate your real address, but rather use a "Drop House" when placing your order with the Item(s) you're planning to SE. As such, both the company and carrier driver will never know where you live and when combined with fabricating your name and payment system on your account, your ID will never be revealed.
If you're reading this from a beginner's standpoint In social engineering, I'd say that you're at a complete loss as to what a "Drop House" relates to, so allow me to briefly define It for you. Also known as a "Drop" or a "Drop Address", It's a physical location In the form of a residential home that does not belong to the SE'er, and Is used to accept goods when ordered from an online retailer/store. Simply stated, Instead of using your real address to receive deliveries from carriers, you opt for a remote home that has no association to you whatsoever. As simple as It may sound, you cannot just choose any dwelling that comes to mind, which brings me to my next point as per below.
How To Locate An Appropriate Drop House:
I've been registered on a number of social engineering communities over a span of three decades and much to my surprise, the task of locating "an appropriate Drop House" seems to be an arduous process- even for advanced SE'ers. Whilst It does require a somewhat strategic and methodical approach, It really comes down to common sense and good judgement. A simple Google search, by filtering your search criteria will return exactly what you're looking for and If you own a car, drive around and pay attention to signs at the front yard that read "For Lease" or "For Sale". It doesn't get much easier than that. Of course, there's a lot more to It than this, so keep reading!
Properties Advertised For Sale
In order to collect packages at another person's property, It's of the utmost Importance that It must be vacated at all times, well, at least during "business hours" and you'll see why shortly. A lot of SE'ers look for homes that're "listed for sale"- on the assumption that It's unoccupied and while this may predominantly be true, It's not always good practice to use this option. Why? Think about It logically for a minute. If you're selling your house, would you "Immediately leave the moment the for sale sign Is erected, or wait until It's sold and then move out?". I think your answer Is obvious. I highly recommend opting for "rental properties" and after sifting through the topic below, you'll understand Its advantages.
Properties Advertised For Rent
Sure, you can certainly use a property that's advertised for sale as a Drop, but unless you're absolutely positive that It's empty, the chances are that Its occupants are still living there. The last thing you need, Is for the carrier driver to pull Into the driveway and someone answers the door to accept your consignment. To avoid this, there are a couple of ways to find an "appropriate" Drop House- with the first being those that are listed "for lease/rent". As opposed to homes for sale, It's almost guaranteed that the owner of a "place for rent" Is awaiting tenants ready to move In, hence he/she (or anyone else), will not be occupying It. For Instance, when you were legitimately house-hunting for a "property for lease", how many times did you find Its owners hanging around watching TV during your Inspection? I'd say never, or perhaps only once. For obvious reasons, this Is the most effective option for a Drop address.
The Home Owner At Work
The second choice I'll Introduce you to, Is seldom mentioned and discussed In the SEing sector, particularly on Internet forums/boards. In fact, I assume that what you're about to read, Is completely unbeknownst to you, and that's because I just thought of It whilst writing this guide. This Involves a little surveillance work on your end, by monitoring a house nearby (even In the same street as yours), and taking note of when Its occupants leave and arrive home from work. Due to their absence for ex-amount of hours each and every day, It makes It a perfect pick to use as a "Drop House". How so? Well, carriers deliver during business hours and those who are "actively employed", are away from home throughout the very same hours, so the timing between both couldn't be more appropriate! Now as with every SE, It's Imperative to "research" the entity In question prior to moving forward, so let's checkout what this entails with Drops.
Researching A Drop House:
Open House Inspections
Whether you're going to use a house that's on the market for sale, or one that's up for rent/lease as a Drop, there's a very Important factor that you need to take on board- which Is what's called an "open house Inspection". Although this mostly relates to sale properties, rental Is sometimes also part of the equation. As Its name Implies, an open house Inspection Is when the property owner opens the doors to potential buyers to Inspect the home on certain days of the week and as such, people are constantly entering and exiting the premises. This mainly takes place on weekends, but there are Instances when weekday arrangements are made, and you definitely don't want your package arriving at the same time as the Inspection. To find out when It's scheduled for Inspection, have a look at the for sale or for lease sign, or simply call the real estate agent (as though you're Interested In the property), and ask for the date and time of when It's all happening.
Finding The Exact Address
Apart from stating the obvious by finding a Drop In person, as said a little further up, the simplest way to locate one Is to hit a Google search and the best resource to use, Is a "real estate agent website". Each site contains an array of Information about the latest properties listed for sale & lease and although It will return the results you're after, It may not necessarily list the actual house number and/or street name of the property. This Is not some kind of bug or error, but rather Intended to respect the privacy of the seller. So how do you grab Its precise address? Just call one of the agents, and pretend that you're Interested In buying or renting. Believe me, they'd love to close a deal with you, thus they'll be more than happy to give you the residential details. Naturally, spoof or anonymize your caller ID, and give them some fictitious name and phone number as a return contact.
Reasons To Use A Drop:
There are no hard and fast rules as to why you should use a Drop House, and given that every social engineer's needs Is based on the merit of the SE Itself, It's way beyond the scope of this article to cater for every SE'ers expectations. What I will do however, Is provide you with three of the most common reasons why a Drop should be utilized, starting with the good old carrier turning up at your doorstep.
Carrier knocking at your door
As a social engineer yourself with many years of experience In refunding companies, there's no doubt you've had your fair share of carrier drivers knocking at your door asking questions about the packages they've delivered. This of course, happens when you use the "DNA" (Did Not Arrive) method, by saying that you (seemingly) did not receive the goods that you ordered. In these circumstances and If It's a high value Item, It's almost certain that the company will "open an Investigation"- by liaising with the carrier and cross-checking their records to see why your package did not reach Its destination. It's a commonality for the driver In question, to also get Involved by paying you a visit and querying the consignment. It's fine If you live on your own- you'd simply not answer the door but If It's your parent's house, you'd want to avoid this altogether and "using a Drop", Is the way to go.
Advanced Replacements
Often abbreviated as "AR", an "Advanced Replacement", Is when the company will send you the Item before you return the one that was purchased from them that's (apparently) defective. When you receive the replacement, you're supposed to send the defective one back. Being the SE'er that you are, you'll do nothing of the sort but failing to comply with their request, may result In your bank account being billed for the full cost of the purchased Item. To circumvent this and In conjunction with having a fake online account, you'd use a Drop house, thereby you cannot be Identified by name or address and you get to keep the Item that you're meant to return. "But what about my payment system" you ask? Well, use a "VCC" (Virtual Credit Card) with some random name on the account, and cancel It after you've made the transaction. As such, funds cannot be withdrawn from your real credit card.
Bypassing Locked Accounts
If you've been SEing quite a number of times In close timing from an online store such as Amazon, by using high value Items and also the same method for all claims, the chances are that your account will be locked due to suspicious activity. In this case and In order to continue your social engineering venture, you'd need to create another account, and "change every Identifiable detail"- otherwise that too, will be locked. Whilst It's not too difficult at all to come up with a fake name, the same cannot be said when trying to fabricate your address details. After all, the orders that you place must reach you, and falsifying where you live will not serve Its purpose. As you've realized, that's when a "Drop House" comes Into action. The only drawback with this Is that a Drop Is not permanent- the premises will be occupied a lot sooner than later, so you'll need to keep updating your address Info on your online account every time you locate another Drop.
How To Use A Drop House:
This Is a very simple procedure, hence I'll keep this brief and straight to the point. As with your own home when waiting for your delivery to arrive, the same applies with a Drop House- the only difference being, you'll be hanging around In the front yard, rather than kicking back watching TV awaiting a knock at the door. The objective Is to arrive at the Drop before the carrier gets there, and to meet & greet the driver with open arms (so to speak) as he hands you the package. To make It seem as though you do In fact live there, be sure to have a relaxed attitude and perhaps do a bit of gardening as he approaches. Trust me, this works a treat to not raise suspicion and ensure that the SE runs smoothly.
Depending on the carrier service, you can track your shipment In real time, thus you will have a very accurate time of arrival. This Is of paramount Importance- the last thing you need, Is for the driver to turn up and you're no where to be seen and as a result, he won't hang around, but rather speed off to meet his next delivery schedule. Where tracking Is available, you can actually view a live map, thereby see the exact location of the driver as he's approaching your Drop address. Do this on your cell phone and use some common sense, by planning your journey to the Drop House around 15-20 minutes ahead of the driver and "enter the premises a few minutes before he comes". Make sure to sign with a fake signature, and leave on a good note by telling him to enjoy the rest of his day.
In Conclusion:
On the grounds that you've read every topic thoroughly from beginning to end, you should now be well aware and have a clear understanding of the advantages In using a Drop House/Address. Do remember to "always research every bit of detail pertaining to the home, prior to making your selection". I'd like to also mention that Its neighbors may report suspicious behavior, so act as though you belong there and don't stand around In the front yard for too long- as said above, only a few minutes or so. If there's a huge gate that prevents access, just wait at the mailbox as though you're about to check for mail. There are so many possibilities to not give away your Intentions. It's not hard at all, so I'll leave It In your capable hands.
