In Australia, more than $220,000 in losses have been reported in just one year as Booking.com scams skyrocket.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch website had 363 reports of fraud mentioning Booking.com last year, a huge 585% increase on the previous year.
In 2022, there were 53 reports, a significant decrease.
The data comes after a woman from Queensland shared her story with the ABC, saying about $16,300 was spent on her card after fraudsters stole her details.
Robin was contacted by a scammer through Booking.com, claiming to be from a hotel she was planning to book, and told she needed to confirm payment details.
Eventually she was contacted by a legitimate representative of the hotel, but it was too late.
“The hotel said their system through Booking.com was basically hijacked,” she told the ABC. “I think they saw me talking to people and it wasn’t them.
“They said they couldn’t go into the system and tell it to stop talking to me.”
Fortunately, her bank has since returned the funds used on her card.
Booking.com said it is aware that “a number” of lodging partners on its platform have been sent phishing emails “aimed at taking over local computer systems with malware.”
A statement provided to news.com.au said: “In some cases, this has resulted in unauthorized access to Booking.com accounts, allowing fraudsters to temporarily impersonate the property and exchange emails and messages with guests. We will be able to communicate.”
“It is important to emphasize that Booking.com’s backend systems and infrastructure were not compromised and the number of properties affected is a small fraction of the properties on our platform.”
The company said it has introduced new measures and warnings to keep customers and lodging partners informed and protected.
“If a guest has concerns about a payment message, we recommend that they first carefully review the payment policy details on the property’s listing page and booking confirmation,” the spokesperson advised. did.
“Customers also have access to[問題を報告]We encourage you to report suspicious messages to us by clicking . “For each individual booking, we also provide guidance for our customers on how to avoid suspicious activity. As a general rule, legitimate transactions require customers to send emails, chat messages, text messages (including WhatsApp), or share sensitive information such as credit card details over the phone.”
The ACCC advises Booking.com users to protect themselves from these scams by:
- Individually verify emails that contain links or attachments that ask you to sign in or enter personal or financial information.
- Contact the organization using the phone number you found yourself, not the phone number provided via email or text message.
- Use the Organization app to securely access your account, check your messages, and implement two-factor authentication for added security.
- Please note that Booking.com customer service representatives will never ask you for your account password or credit card or other financial information over the phone.
