Hot Cons How-Tos

How to Hack a Vending Machine: 9 Tricks to Getting Free Drinks, Snacks, & Money

A vending machine is an invaluable, yet totally frustrating piece of equipment. It's a godsend whenever your tummy's growling or you need an ice-cold drink on a hot summer day. But when something gets stuck inside or the machine flat out malfunctions, it quickly becomes your archenemy. And when you're broke, it's basically just one big tease.

How To: Hack a Vending Machine with a Special Code

JamesKesn teaches you how to hack a vending machine. You must use a very specific machine and an exact combination of button presses. For this it is: far left Pepsi, near right Mountain Dew, near left Pepsi, far right Mountain Dew. Then far left Pepsi, near right Mountain Dew. Again, far left Pepsi, near left Pepsi, near right Mountain Dew and far right Mountain Dew. This hack will allow you to see the stats, set the price and see error logs.

Arcade Hacking: 6 Tricks to Getting More Prize Tickets Out of Game Machines

Arcade games have always been more about chance than skill (at least when I play them). Whether you're at a children's party at a Chuck E. Cheese's or drinking it up with your pals at a barcade like Dave & Buster's, you'll find similar games that hold the golden ticket to fun and cheap prizes that no one needs—boy, do you want them.

How To: 5 Secret Codes You Need to Know About Costco's Prices to Get Even Better Deals

It's no surprise that Costco has great deals, and that's why millions pay annual fees for the privilege to shop in their wholesale outlets. Just take their hotdog and soda combo for $1.50—it's the same price now as it was 27 years ago.

How To: Get All the Change Out of Vending Machine

This instructional video will show you how to get all of the change out of a vending machine! Who needs Coke or Pepsi when you can have coins? Then, you can get all of the soda you want out of that vending machine.

How To: Win a claw machine game in any arcade and become a skilled clawer

Every time you see one, you just have to put a quarter in an try your hands at the CLAW! But WTF? You never win anything from those darned claw machines! You can waste ten bucks in quarters and still come out empty handed.

How To: Find the numbers to open a combination pad

Forgot or lost the combination to a suitcase? Instead of prying open or picking the lock of a basic combination pad, find the numbers and recover the combination without ruining the lock with the trick tip in this instructional video. Don't suffer from a bad memory ever again, or for the more devious minded, break into that briefcase you've been eying. Learn how to recover the combination of a suitcase by watching this how-to pull a con video tutorial.

How To: Open combo locks by turning the the opposite direction using different numbers

Most combinations locks like the one you have / had on your locker need to be turned right, left, then right again to enter the combination and open the lock. Or so you thought! Watch this video to learn how you can unlock a lock with turns in the opposite direction by using a different combination.

How To: Print counterfeit money

Did you know that as a deterrent to counterfeiting Photoshop will NOT print any images that look like money? Here's a way to work around that using Photoshop and Adobe Imageready. Follow along with this con how-to video to learn the a trick to printing counterfeit money.

How To: Hack a Soda Machine to Get a Drink and a Refund

You'd like to treat your friend to a drink from the vending machine, but you only have enough cash for one soda. What do you do?

How To: Hack a Vending Machine for Change

This video demonstrates a way to hack a vending machine for change. First, you should press the top selection button four times, and then press the very last button three times. Then, hold the fourth button from the top and press the last button once more. If done correctly, the vending machine will return four quarters (one dollar) in change. This video may be helpful for people who want to hack a vending machine or who need some quick change.

How To: Deploy a Keylogger from a USB Flash Drive Quickly

This guide will explain how to configure a USB Flash Drive / Memory Stick so that you can run a keylogger within just a few seconds of plugging it in any computer.

How To: Hide your stash in a Ford truck

Did you know there are secret compartment in your Ford truck? This how-to video will reveal the secret compartments in Ford trucks. This is what smugglers don't want you to know! Hide valuables staches from cops, wife, etc., you get the picture...just watch this instructional video already.

How To: Con a free meal from the drive-thru at McDonald's

Want a free meal at McDonald's restaurant? Forget those money-saving (supposedly) weekly coupons, that's nothing compared to an actual free meal. Coupons won't get you that. But this method of free food, perfect for the freegan or the poor (or maybe just the rude). This would technically be qualified as a prank or con, but hey, you got to eat, right?

How To: Redeem Gift Card Balances for Cash

I've never understood gift cards. Aside from being severely restricted as to where you can use them, they're also a strange gift, especially if you don't shop at that particular store. Some even have expiration dates and service fees.

How To: Save Money on Groceries! Scam… Er… Scan Your Own Stuff at Self-Checkout

If you're running into the grocery store just to get a quick drink or snack, self-checkout machines can save you a ton of time. Add a few more items to your list, though, and they are just plain annoying. When they actually work how they're supposed to, self-checkout machines can make your shopping trip more convenient, but those instances are few and far between.

How To: Pick a luggage lock with a paperclip

Learn how to pick a luggage lock with this lock picking tutorial. You need a baggage lock and a paperclip. Use needlenose pliers to bend the paperclip into a lock pick or a homemade key. Twist your lock pick around until the lock opens. Simple lockpicking tutorial.

How To: Hack an American Lock combination

You've seen plenty of videos about hacking Master Lock combinations. But what about those American Locks? They always seem to be forgotten, since Master Lock is the biggest combination lock producer out there.

How To: Hack an elevator to go directly to your floor

Going up? This video will teach you how to hack an elevator, making it go directly to the desired floor without stopping. If you're ever in a hurry or, heaven forbid, a genuine emergency and need to get to the bottom or top floor quickly, you'll be very happy you watched this how-to video. Learn how to enable the "express mode" in most any modern elevator with this great pushbutton hack!

How To: The Trick to Canceling Hotel Reservations Last Minute Without Getting Charged Any Fees

There are so many things in life I wish I could've canceled without any repercussions, and I'm mostly talking about text messages.

How To: Hack a candy crane/claw machine

The next time you are in an arcade or a Chuck E Cheez, bring along this tutorial.

How To: Hack a Candy Machine with a Paper Coin

Craving candy but have no change? Then listen closely to this hack. This con how-to video shows you how to hack a candy machine by creating fake quarters. This hack trick should also work on parking meters. Never pay for candy or meters again. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to hack a candy machine with a paper coin or cardboard.

How To: Crack the lock on a safe without destroying it or leaving a trace

Safecracking is something that most of us will only come in contact with in the movies, where strange men and women stick their head against safes and twist dials until the safe magically opens. If your interest in gaining entrance to safes that aren't yours goes beyond that, this video will teach you most of what you need to know. It features a prominent lockpicker giving a 30 minutes presentation on non-destructive safecracking techniques.

How To: Beat a skill crane claw machine at an arcade

This is a claw machine tutorial. If you've ever tried to win something from one of those pesky arcade skill cranes, then you might possibly find this claw machine tutorial helpful. Watch this conning how-to video and learn how to beat a skill crane or claw arcade game machine.

How To: Con an Electronic Parking Meter into Unlimited Parking

Need to save a few quarters for laundry? Then skip paying at the parking meter when you're out and about. The video below will show you how to con your way out giving up your hard-earned coins at a city parking meter. With this trick, you'll get unlimited time. It works by simply holding a quarter in the slot for a long, long time. This will create an error in the electronic parking meter system, causing an "out of order" sign to appear, which means... free parking!

How To: Open a lock using a fork

Have a lock on your bike or shed but you have lost the key? Watch this hacking how-to video and learn the art of picking a lock using a common kitchen utensil. Yes all you need to crack open a lock is a fork for your kitchen drawer. Follow along and see how easy it is to pick any lock with a fork. Open a lock using a fork.

How To: Hack an elevator so it goes directly to your floor

This video shows you how to make an elevator go directly to your floor while skipping all other floors.

How To: The Ultimate Guide to Sneaking Booze into Any Event

Living in Los Angeles has given me the opportunity to attend a bunch of really cool events. I've been to Dodgers, Lakers, and Clippers games, a few concerts at the Staples Center, and a plethora of smaller joints.

How To: Start your scooter without keys

This is a video tutorial that shows you how to start your scooter when you lost your keys. If you're stealing a scooter, then that's your own fault, this is just to show you how to start your little motorcycle without keys, for emergencies. Now, this video is in a different language, but there's text for you to luck at, so follow along.

How To: Hack a cell phone to make free phone calls

Want to control a friend's cell phone remotely and make "free" calls from it? In this hack how-to video, you'll learn how to hack Bluetooth-enabled cell phones with your Sony Ericsson or Nokia phone and the Super Bluetooth Hack—or "BT Info"—, a free program easily found through Google. Once installed, Super Bluetooth Hack will enable you to control your friends' cell phones remotely.

How To: Add LED lights to avoid speed detection while driving

Tired of getting speeding tickets? Not prepared to start driving by the letter of the law? Well, this instructional video shows a way to con the speeding radar. Regular LED lights can be modified with infrared LED bulbs and will avoid speed detection by the police. Learn how to stop getting speeding tickets and avoid police radar detection by adding LED lights by watching this how-to con video.

How To: Get a Free Soft Drink from a Vending Machine

In this tutorial, we learn how to get a free soft drink from a vending machine. First, you will need to find one of those old vending machines, not one of the new and high tech ones. From here, you will need to sit down and lift the hatch up from the machine. Then, reach up into the machine and find a soda. Once you get your hands on one, pull the pop from out of the machine. You should have relatively small hands and longer arms to be able to do this successfully. Once finished, drink your s...

How To: Pick a Brinks number lock easily and quickly

If you've forgotten your combination, or for some other reason want to get past a Brinks number lock, this tutorial shows you how to do it. All you need is a bobby pin. Slide the bobby pin down towards the lock wheels. Then spin the wheels slowly, from top to bottom. As you spin each wheel to the correct number, the bobby pin will slide down a little more. And once the bobby pin is all the way down, not only have you unlocked the lock, you've figured out the combination!

How To: Pick a Master Lock #175 with a paper clip

Even though I am not the best locksmith in the world, the four-digit #175 model Master Lock is so easy to pick that all the hardened steel in the world isn't going to protect your belongings.

How To: Pry open a master lock using only a Coke can

We now officially have a new use for Coke cans that has out-cooled Lady Gaga's Coke can curls from her video for "Telephone."

How To: Unlock Car Doors with a Punctured Tennis Ball (Faux-To?)

Many have tried to prove (or disprove) that tennis ball lock picking really works, but it still seems up for debate. Mythbusters have supposedly debunked this technique (watch the video). Someone over at the Auto Blog also has tested this car lock method with failed results (watch the video).

How To: Unlock a Door with a Credit Card

Uh, oh. You’re at your front door without a key. If you’ve got a credit card, see if you can get it to open the door before you use it to pay for a locksmith. Learn how to unlock a door with a credit card. The lock needs to be the right kind of lock & you need to have patience. Learn how to unlock a door with a credit card next time you are locked out!

How To: Reseal an opened soda can

A cool prank to play on a friend lies in your fridge... a soda can. Get out your Coke or Pepsi can, or any other soda can, and open it up. Now, wouldn't it be cool if you could close it again, without raising suspicion?

How To: Cheat on a math test using a calculator

In this tutorial, we learn how to cheat on a math test using a calculator. The first way to cheat is to go into your calculator where the programming is. After this, you can type in the information that you need to store into the calculator and then save it to look at later. The other way to cheat is to write down the information that you need on a small piece of paper. After this, tape it to the inside of your graphing calculator on the shell. If a teacher comes by, simply put the calculator...

How To: Pick any padlock or combination lock without breaking

Did you lose your key or forget the combination to you lock? This tutorial is here to help you with tips on how to pick just about any combination or padlock without breaking them. All you need is a few household items and a bit of patience and you will be on your way!