A consumer rights group says Booking.com “must do more to protect its users” following a slew of complaints from customers about "fraud and deceptive practices" on the travel website.
Like Airbnb, Booking.com allows people to list their own properties as holiday lets, which makes the site vulnerable to scammers. The company told the Brussels Times that “actual incidents are rare, and we investigate each one of them”.
However, Belgian consumer rights group Testachats says it has received complaints from customers for “several years” about scams on Booking.com. According to the group, phishing attacks are a big problem for customers.
Phishing on travel websites typically involves scammers posing as booking managers. They list fake accommodation on the site and convince customers to make payments for properties that might not even exist. Once a user pays up, scammers then vanish without a trace.
“It's easy to fall for it, and it can be very costly for travellers who don't realise it in time”, said Testachats. The organisation also claims to have heard from travellers who reported that their customer accounts had been hacked.
Testachats says these practices “lead to the leakage of personal data (credit card details, access accounts, passwords, etc.) and facilitate phishing attempts”.
'Some partners and users are occasionally affected by scams on our platform'
Last year, Booking.com’s internet safety chief, Marnie Wilking, admitted the company faced challenges in combatting online scams. In June 2024, she stated that there had been “anywhere from a 500 to a 900% increase” in travel scams over the previous 18 months, driven by the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Credit: Belga
“The attackers are definitely using AI to launch attacks that mimic emails far better than anything that they’ve done to date,” she told a technology conference in Toronto. However, when contacted by the Brussels Times this week, Booking.com claimed that “actual incidents are rare”.
"At Booking.com, protecting our customers and partners from fraud and scams is a priority. We are aware that some partners and users are occasionally affected by scams on our platform. This is not a breach of Booking.com’s systems but rather a coordinated fraud targeting hoteliers and travellers," a Booking.com spokesperson told The Brussels Times.
The company stated that in the case of unusual activity or suspected fraud, users or accommodation managers can contact their customer support line, which is available 24/7.
“As a responsible travel company, we recognise the impact such scams by malicious third parties can have on our customers, our accommodation partners, and our business. In addition to continuously monitoring and blocking new threats, our dedicated security teams also implement new measures to ensure the safety of our customers’ and partners’ accounts," they added.
Testachats is now calling on people who have been victims of online scams on Booking.com to provide testimony via the Testachats website.
“Booking.com must do more to protect its users - it's a European obligation,” said Julie Frère, a spokesperson for the consumer rights group.
