Australia’s consumer rights watchdog has seen a sharp increase in Australians mentioning popular accommodation site Booking.com when they report experiencing or falling victim to a scam.
Scam reports mentioning Booking.com significantly increased in 2023 and caused Australians to lose more than $337,000, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The ACCC said its Scamwatch program received 363 reports of scams in 2023 which mentioned Booking.com — one of the most visited travel booking sites in the world.
That’s almost a 600 per cent increase on 2022, during which only 53 reported scams made reference to Booking.com.
Booking.com scam ‘very legitimate looking’, victim says
Queensland resident Robyn, who requested to only be identified by her first name, told ABC News that she received a message through Booking.com in January 2023, which appeared to be from a hotel in Istanbul, Türkiye, where she had an upcoming booking.
Robyn said the message claimed her booking would be cancelled if she did not confirm her payment details. She clicked a link included in the message, which took her to a site that appeared to be Booking.com, as it contained the details of her trip and its costs.
(ABC)
