Triangulation fraud
A scammer sits between you and a real shop, pocketing your money and card details.
Triangulation fraud sits a scammer between a real shopper and a legitimate retailer. You buy something at a tempting price from a fake shop or a marketplace listing; the fraudster takes your payment and card details, then orders the genuine item from a real store using a stolen card, having it shipped straight to you. Because the product often arrives, nothing seems wrong — until the stolen card is reported and the picture unravels.
The scammer profits twice: from your money and from the harvested card details, which feed further fraud. Because a parcel actually turns up, these schemes can run a long time before anyone notices. Warning signs include unusually low prices on a site with no track record, a delivery that comes from an ordinary retailer you never ordered from, and pressure to pay by methods that carry little protection. Buying from established sellers and paying by card — so a disputed charge can be reversed — are your best guards. The fake storefronts that enable this are taken apart in our piece on how scammers build fake online shops.