Booking.com under investigation by EU regulators over fake listings and scams

The European Commission has launched an investigation into online accommodation platform Booking.com, alleging the company has not done enough to protect consumers from fraudulent listings and phishing scams. The commission claims Booking.com's approach to tackling these issues is "absolutely substandard" under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).

The investigation will focus on three main areas: Booking.com's handling of fake listings, its prevention of phishing scams, and compliance with advertising transparency rules. If found to have breached the DSA, Booking.com could face a fine of up to 6% of its worldwide annual turnover.

Booking.com, which has 28 million accommodation listings, maintains that consumer protection is a top priority. However, EU regulators assert that the company should be conducting risk assessments and implementing more robust fraud prevention systems.

In recent months, Booking.com has been the focus of investigations following security lapses exposed by the UK consumer group Which?. Researchers used the site to set up a fake offer to stay at 10 Downing Street, only for victims to find upon arrival that the property had been fraudulently listed.

EU officials are also examining second-category scams, known as "reservation hijacks," where scammers use stolen data to impersonate accommodation providers and request payments from users. These scams have seen victims lose several hundred pounds each.

The Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond reports a significant increase in scam reports involving Booking.com, up from 89 cases worth €25,000 in 2024 to 200 cases worth €65,000 in 2025. These reports represent only a fraction of the total scams, as many victims are deterred from reporting to the fraud helpdesk.

European consumer groups welcome the commission's investigation, viewing it as a necessary step to address a systemic issue exacerbated by the use of generative AI tools by fraudsters.