Possible New Idea: Barcode Spoofing

[No1sadvocate]

Possible New Idea: Barcode Spoofing

Anyone ever thought of it? With a printer and some stick labels you could duplicate a similar or cheaper item's barcode and stick it on a more expensive items package.

Most cashiers would not notice the new sticker code and would probably ignore it.

Cashiers also don't look at the screen when each item is scanned. This is also the reason for using a similar item, the barcoded descriptions are limited and ambiguous at best.

Thoughts?

Ever been thought of before?

[etc.]

I've thought of doing this for a while now and it seems like it could done. If you google search barcode generator you will get a lot of search results but i'm not sure whether they would work the ones that I have experimented with have all been quick and easy but prehaps inaccurate.

Generally cashiers wouldn't notice this because if there is a price reduction they will put alternative barcode stickers over the original barcode and this sticker may also be a different colour to draw shoppers into it.

Personally I cannot see much of a problem with this idea but only if you make good copies otherwise they will
not scan correctly.

As I said above, I have thought about this for a couple of months now and still cannot see any problems.

Links for barcode generators:

Free Barcode Image Online Generator <-- Works very accurately

Free Online Barcode Generator <-- Doesn't have EAN13

Barcode software make barcode labels print stickers tags create graphics image

(all of the above links are free, first two are online, third is a free download)

[LOWprofile247]

we should start a new thread where we just post bar codes for different stores... chances are were gonna find some good deals

[etc.]

Originally Posted by LOWprofile247

we should start a new thread where we just post bar codes for different stores... chances are were gonna find some good deals

Don't need to.
Just go to the store with a camera and start taking pictures of barcodes, use the first link in the post above and you can create your own code in a couple of seconds. You will need a small amount of knowledge about barcodes but I learnt all I needed to know to replicate a code within just a few seconds.

[mswils411]

Ok the whole theory of cashiers not looking at screens is true for the most part, But keep in mind it takes money to make money. For instance you go to a store you find a norelco razor for 150.00 and another for 30.00. Then you go to check out, You certainly do not go to a register where a old women whom probably has purchased one of these for son or husband, cause when your total ends up being 40.00 on a razor she recently paid 100.00 your busted. So choose your cashier wisley. Also try to have a little extra cash and go when its the most crowded, Reason is you want to purchase a few items. It can be bags of candy or cheap tissue, The key is giving the worker more to scan keeps her attention on reaching for the next item to scan, And this is even better when theres a line of customers behind you , The worker then only has 1 thing on her mind, Getting the customers through the line as quick as possible. now my experiance has always been best with using self checkout, then only u are lookin at the screen so using a phillip shaver upc for a braun shaver is ok, I say this cause the most expensive braun is 250 while the cheapest is about 35 to 40 as to where a phillips cheapest is about 20.00... i had a store tell me no return w/o receipt over 50.00 bucks . drove ten miles and same name store returned a 200.00 item no problem, walmart for instance will only put the credit to a store gift card, BUT walmart is the only store I'm aware of that allows you to use the store card to buy walmart visa gift cards, and visa is excepted almost anywhere,

be careful about posting upc cause if there were any unwanted guest veiwing this site all they have to do is run the upc code through google see the item find retailers that sale it and before you know it theres memo warnings being sent to those retailers, My suggestion is private message, I have about 30 good ones for items all above 100.00 just pm me and ill give them to you..

Also one last thing remember self checkout goes by weight, when u place the item in the bag. Its easy to get around it just takes research, look up the item online go to specs see the weight then choose a cheap one check the specs, it never has to match but try to be close, you will be suprised on how some cheap ones weighs the same or real close to the exspensive, or find a hoover vacum at 300 and one at 50 then u dont have t take the item out of the basket other than to scann it real quick then back in the basket, be aware any item that gives the option for a warranty will alert a workerto come ask u if u want it and then override it,

AND last and to me the most IMPORTANT, almost all retailers have a machine to check the price of a item, They are located through out the store, walmart kmart target even toys r us, CHECK YOUR BARCODES FIRST, the last thing u want is for a item not to scann then they turn it over to manually punch the numbers see its a sticker and poof there goes your come up. 99% of all barcodes are built into the packaging , they are not stickers.

Hope this info helps, I know everyone has there own way of doing things and I am not claiming this way is the best. I'm simply stating what has worked best in the past for me, Not that I ever actually did it, This is for information purposes only and does not in anyway suggest for no one to follow these directions, Cause doing so would be a crime, Lets just say I know some people who know some people whom may have done this in the past. OR for legal sake I was under the age of 18 at the time and more than 5 years has passed therefore staue of limitations has ran out, LOL!!!

PS one more thing places like walmart .com will tell you the upc code just always take away the first 2 digits then using a program like barcode magic will auto put the check digit for u, USa uses 12 digit upc codes in formatt of upc-a.. doing this will keep u out of going in takin pics and then later u come to same store and they watch u, although its perfectly legal to take pics of upc codes why would u want to draw attention...

[etc.]

Originally Posted by mswils411

99% of all barcodes are built into the packaging , they are not stickers.

Put your sticker over the original bercode like they sometimes do when things are imported of are in the money off sales.

Originally Posted by mswils411

they watch u, although its perfectly legal to take pics of upc codes why would u want to draw attention...

No one is going to be watching you that closely. They aren't going to see someone taking pictures of the side of a box and automatically think, "He must be taking pictures of barcodes so that he can make a copy using software on the internet and then print it onto a sticker, put it over the original code and then get the product for a reduced price". No, they'll probably think that your taking pictures to show someone or to compare it. If you say that your taking pictures to show someone and ask if they like it, it's not to suspicious if you come back later and buy it.

[richierichtx]

I posted this idea a while ago, but i'm not sure how long ago. Or maybe it was on another site. all in all, yeah idk why i haven't heard of it again till now, its simple yet effective.

I think it has been done before because places like walmart, will check things like dvd players and any kind of electronics that have differently priced models, and will look at the actual model on the receipt, versus the model on the box. but you can bypass that by going when they're busy, and buy your groceries with it, they seem to never check most of the carts with lots of groceries.

Also, its an obvious thing to most, but , don't go overboard, a blu-ray player for $50 will set off suspicion by almost anyone who knows anything about consumer electronics. lol , even if its just "wow, where did you get this?" lol.

[etc.]

Originally Posted by richierichtx

Also, its an obvious thing to most, but , don't go overboard, a blu-ray player for $50 will set off suspicion by almost anyone who knows anything about consumer electronics. lol , even if its just "wow, where did you get this?" lol.

Yeah, don't know how much they are in the states but in the UK they are about £300. Even if you just got it for £200 there would still be a 1/3 saving on it.

[No1sadvocate]

Of course it requires some intelligence, like not using a $1 item for a $500 item but its very very rare that your cart/receipt gets checked usually only if you set the alarm off. I actually heard about this happening in the past few days after i posted this. I think of thing like this when im really bored.

[koolschooler]

i'm confused...are we talking about decoding barcodes, changing price and recompiling with same info except price...or copying barcodes, printing them out, and placing them on lookalike items?

if so, hypothetically, couldn't one find a $2 item the same weight as a bluray, copy 30 or so barcodes, apply these to blu-ray and go to self cehckout and buy all 30 blu-ray discs for $2 a piece?
has anyone perfected this?

[etc.]

Originally Posted by koolschooler

i'm confused...are we talking about decoding barcodes, changing price and recompiling with same info except price...or copying barcodes, printing them out, and placing them on lookalike items?

if so, hypothetically, couldn't one find a $2 item the same weight as a bluray, copy 30 or so barcodes, apply these to blu-ray and go to self cehckout and buy all 30 blu-ray discs for $2 a piece?
has anyone perfected this?

We're talking about making barcodes (the easiest way without decoding is to find a product that is similar and cheaper) and because recipts are abbrieviated if you copied the code from a Phillips cheap electric shaving razor and put the code onto an expensive Phillips razor the recipt might read something light "PHILPS SHVING RZR" or something like that. The TYPE of razor won't normally be displayed.
I've only used shaving razor as an example.
So yes printing 30 $2 barcodes then putting then on 30 blu-ray discs might work just make sure you don't get caught. You could just hold your prinded off barcode by the scanner of the self serve over the original code.
I hope i've cleared a few things up for you.

So in summary. Copy a code from a cheap product. Stick it to an expensive product. Get the product cheaper, but don't go over the top!

[Mitchell_Leary]

I knew a guy who was doing this with grocery store steaks. He bought a cheap cut of meat then made dupicate barcodes at home from the label. Then each time he goes to the store he would slap one of these adhesive labels over a prime cut of meat and pay for it with the rest of is groceries. Butchers don't run the check out line so the risk of getting caught is minimal. And now with these new self-check-out lanes where you scan your own food it couldn't be easier. I'm sure this idea could be applied to other products if a person put their mind to it.


ML

[etc.]

Originally Posted by Mitchell_Leary

I knew a guy who was doing this with grocery store steaks. He bought a cheap cut of meat then made dupicate barcodes at home from the label. Then each time he goes to the store he would slap one of these adhesive labels over a prime cut of meat and pay for it with the rest of is groceries. Butchers don't run the check out line so the risk of getting caught is minimal. And now with these new self-check-out lanes where you scan your own food it couldn't be easier. I'm sure this idea could be applied to other products if a person put their mind to it.


ML

Proof!!

(I don't mean that I want proof that he did it, I mean that this is proof that it could be done)

Thanks Mitchell for showing that this isn't just an idea.

[DIzzIE]

There's plenty of textfiles written about this, if you care to search around. Keep all shoplifting discussion in the shoplifting thread, especially rehashed crap that's been discussed before.