Social Engineering

[GOD]

Other than beeing able to lie well, swim doesnt really feel he has very good skills when it comes to social engineering.  Sure, he can keep his cool talking over the phone, in person etc... he has even withstood a full 6 or 7 hours of interrogation by the police a few years back.  His problem is that he doesnt really see himself as much off a talker/bullshitter/social-strategist and he knows that this is a very important skill to have.  Not just with acquisition but in many many other areas of life (getting jobs,finding information, meeting people, women etc...).  He has been looking around for some good pointers.  As far as acquisition goes, he knows that looking the part and beeing well versed in whatever subject matter is essential.  He has read an old paper written by Eulisis/zwitterton (sorry if I mispelled it).  Are there any other good sources for bees interested in developing this skill of 'social engineering?' Swim doesnt care what kind of source it is (sites directed towards other kinds of pursuits other than chemistry) just as long as there is some relivant information to bee passed along.  Also, if any bees have some helpful advice regarding this, please feel free to post away.
Thank you!!
when someone asks what the sound of one hand clapping sounds like, you should smack them in the ear.
edit
Well, wouldja look at that...
Swim did some searching outside of tfse and came up with a few links.  Some may not appear at first to relate to the subject, but if one looks a little closer, a few common principles may appear:

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/buychem.igor.txt

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/popeye/popeye.zwit.txt

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/eleusis/memoirs.html

http://rr.sans.org/social/social_list.php

http://cybercrimes.net/Property/Hacking/Social%20Engineering/PsychSocEng/PsySocEng.html

http://www.unorg.com/a64.htm

http://www.vigilante.com/inetsecurity/socialengineering.htm

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=social+engineering&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&safe=off&selm=913935166.365001@ed.dbis.ns.ca&rnum=4

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=social+engineering&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&safe=off&selm=a510uh%24306%240@dosa.alt.net&rnum=10

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-522261.html?legacy=zdnn

[Nasarius]

Ah yes, I was going to post something like this soon.  Basically, whenever you can, don't claim personal interest in the materials you are buying.  In other words, say that you're picking it up for your friend/brother/roomate/girlfriend.  All you need is a reason why the person can't pick it up for himself.  Obviously, this isn't going to work at a chem supply place, but for essential oils or photography chems, it's a great way to avoid the need to educate yourself on the topic.  It's easier and probably a little less suspicious if your mother/girlfriend/wife is interested in aromatherapy, not you.

"What are you buying this for?"
"Oh gee, I don't know.  My brother is an amateur photographer and he wanted me to pick this up for him."

Oh yeah: don't give out any more information than asked, but don't be rude either.  Just develop a good story and use it if needed.

[GOD]

Just to make things clear, swim understands the importance of not revealing too much and exposing ignorance etc... He realises that sometimes, one needs to do a little research before acquision is actually attempted.  Sometimes it may bee a little safer for a bee to understand some of the inner workings of an establishment (and how they deal with the govt for example) before an attempt is made.  This can apply to several other circumstances that may arrise while attempting acquisition as well- for example, an American bee may bee interested in going to another country to make a purchase... He/she would probably do good to single out a few suppliers and find out how things are done when dealing with those buisnesses before making a long trek - getting there and then finding out he/she was unprepared for something unexpected that may or may not cause trouble for the bee....
There are a million variables, and it always helps if one goes into any venture with a flexible, well thought out plan.
when someone asks what the sound of one hand clapping sounds like, you should smack them in the ear.