Damages top 82,000 euros as scammers use Booking.com to sell fake vacation rentals
Dutch vacationers are increasingly falling victim to scams involving fake accommodation listings on Booking.com. Reports of phishing linked to the platform jumped to 957 in the first half of 2026, while reported losses exceeded €82,000.
The figures from the Fraudehelpdesk (Fraud Help Desk) show a dramatic increase from the second half of 2025, when 162 phishing reports linked to Booking.com were recorded. Reported financial losses also rose from more than €75,000 during all of 2025 to over €82,000 in just the first six months of this year.
Scammers use several methods, but phishing is a major concern. Criminals can hack a landlord’s account or create fake accommodation listings using copied photographs and property information from legitimate rental websites. Victims are then contacted and directed to fraudulent websites or payment requests.
One victim, Hans Hooijer, booked an apartment in Cape Town through a listing that appeared legitimate. His reservation was confirmed through Booking.com, and he initially saw no reason to suspect fraud. While traveling to South Africa, however, someone claiming to be the property owner contacted him and demanded €355 in exchange for the apartment’s access code.
Hooijer paid the money, but the code failed when he arrived. A neighbor then told him that the apartment was being used in a scam and that three other victims had already shown up at the same property that week. Booking.com later removed the fraudulent listing.
Another victim, Elisa, discovered that her holiday home in Portugal had been listed on Booking.com without her permission. Two families arrived expecting to stay there after booking through the platform, despite the owner never having placed the property on Booking.com. The scammers had copied her photographs, property information and personal details from other legitimate websites, changing only the accommodation’s name. The families reportedly lost around €2,400.
Booking.com said accommodations are checked for fraudulent activity both when they register and afterward. The company acknowledged that criminals can occasionally bypass security measures and said suspicious accommodations are removed as soon as fraud is discovered or reported.
The sharp rise in reports highlights the growing risk for travelers booking holiday accommodation online. Fraud experts warn that even a reservation that appears genuine can later be used to demand additional payments, making it important for travelers to verify the property and be extremely cautious about unexpected payment requests.