Making money by stealing CD keys

1. 2024-06-24 at 9:53 PM UTC

   #1
   

   harriettubman20 Yung Blood
   PC games are packaged with a CD and a CD key. The CD key is used in some cases to activate the game when you run the installer on the disk, but in a lot of cases you can just redeem the CD key on an online store somewhere and add the game to your digital library. And you don't have to buy the game to activate the key like you do with a gift card, it's already prepped in the box.
   
   Walk into Wal-Mart and grab two or three of these games. The Sims series and World of Warcraft expansions are always good for this. Then, take them to a remote part of the store where there aren't cameras on you and start "looking at something" on a shelf. Usually pet aisles are good for this. Unwrap the game, open the box, and grab the CD key. Take out your phone and take a picture of the CD key. Then stuff the box somewhere, like under a shelf or something. Somewhere it won't be found for a while. Do this for all of the games. Don't feel like you have to do them all in one spot or something, the main thing is just don't be seen.
   
   Then once you've taken pictures of all the CD keys and disposed of the boxes, you can just leave the store. If you want to buy something to look less suspicious, pay with cash obviously. Then you can sell digital copies online on like G2A or eBay or something, and undercut the official store price by a couple of dollars. That's part of the reason I suggested WoW or The Sims, it's better if it's a greedy ass company that doesn't like to do sales, rarely reduces the price, and is dated enough that the store doesn't feel the need to put it behind glass or put a security seal on it.
   
   The nice thing about doing something like this is that you could do it without actually removing anything from the store.
2. 2024-06-25 at 12:22 AM UTC

   #2
   

   Lanny Lanny Houston
   that's wrong. don't do that. it's a baddy.. not a goody
3. 2024-06-25 at 12:26 AM UTC

   #3
   

   Mighest Houston
   Could you just buy and return or do they not allow returning opened software?
   
   They'd likely be able to charge you with theft even if you not leaving with the merchandise.
4. 2024-06-25 at 12:57 AM UTC

   #4
   

   harriettubman20 Yung Blood

   Originally posted by Mighest Could you just buy and return or do they not allow returning opened software?
   
   They'd likely be able to charge you with theft even if you not leaving with the merchandise.

   
   You probably could, but the last thing I'd want to do when I'm stealing from a store is have to talk to a store employee.
   
   The theft of digital goods is already a huge legal gray area, and it is legal to take pictures of merchandise. Even if they realize what you're doing, when they don't have a clear path to pursue action against you are they going to bother, especially over a few games? Seems like there's less legal precedent there than for something like refund fraud.
   
   

   Originally posted by Lanny Lanny that's wrong. don't do that. it's a baddy.. not a goody

   
   Sorry, I won't post things like this on Good Ideas anymore.
5. 2024-06-25 at 1:08 AM UTC

   #5
   

   Enigma African Astronaut
   Op will love to CD nuts in his mouth
6. 2024-06-25 at 1:14 AM UTC

   #6
   TacoBell Yung Blood
   How much are the Sims ones?
7. 2024-06-25 at 1:41 AM UTC

   #7
   

   harriettubman20 Yung Blood

   Originally posted by Enigma Op will love to CD nuts in his mouth