Fraud watchdog Fraudehelpdesk has reported a steep rise in scams involving accommodation listed on Booking.com in recent months.
Data shows that total reported damages reached €82,000 in just the first six months of 2026, already surpassing the €75,000 recorded during the entirety of 2025.
How the listings deceive travelers
The fraudulent listings rely on authentic property photos and details copied directly from legitimate property management channels and other booking portals. Because the descriptions and images match real vacation rentals, the listings appear entirely normal to prospective guests.
The deception typically occurs at the point of payment. Fraudsters contact buyers outside the normal system and direct them to complete the transaction through an external website, capturing their money through phishing links.
Many travelers only discover the fraud upon arriving at the property, where local residents or actual owners inform them that the reservation is non-existent. Similar tactics have surfaced across other online platforms, including fake housing ads targeting renters in competitive markets.
Responses to platform security
Property owners have also reported instances where their real residence was cloned on the platform under a slightly altered name. In some cases, multiple families have arrived at a private home on the same day expecting entry, leaving owners to deal with angry guests.
Booking.com stated that it checks every accommodation listing for fraudulent behavior both during registration and afterwards. The company confirmed that when a malicious party bypasses its security measures, the listing is removed immediately once detected or reported.
