According to Japan Today , several hotels have received complaints from customers claiming they lost money when booking through Booking.com. Due to this recurring issue, the Japan Tourism Agency has requested an investigation into the matter.
Booking.com will not request payment details via chat or email.
It's not just Japan; a CNN report indicates that a user in Porto, Portugal, also experienced something similar. According to the user, they received an advertisement with positive reviews, an attractive price, and confirmation from Booking.com. However, it turned out to be a scam.
A few days after making the booking, the user received a message: “My name is Andreas. You have booked a room at our property, but your card is invalid. You can enter your card information and the issue will be resolved.” Following the suggestion, the user re-entered the data. The problem is that as soon as this happened, the victim was unable to contact the other party.
In an advanced study conducted by cybersecurity expert Piyokango, alarming data on attacks has been uncovered. According to Piyokango, since June 2023, 118 accommodation companies have fallen victim to phishing. Hackers sent emails to hotels with the aim of accessing confidential content from Booking.com. The emails contained a malicious link, and when users clicked on it, their computers were infected.
After accessing Booking.com's system, hackers send payment requests to customers. These people are usually unsuspecting and readily pay the requested amount. They then receive a notification stating that their stay has been canceled due to non-payment.
Japan Today cited an example that occurred in August 2023. According to the report, a hotel received an email complaining about an allergic reaction in a guest's daughter. After a hotel employee clicked on the link, hackers gained access to sensitive data. A hotel employee stated that the hackers exploited the hotel's desire to do everything possible to meet the guest's request in order to carry out the attack.
In Europe, similar cases began occurring in 2022. However, the problem has spread to other continents. In December 2023, Booking.com announced that the company does not request payment details via chat or email.
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