Fake Hotels, Phishing Scams Put Booking.com in EU Crosshairs

BRUSSELS, Oct 21: The European Commission on Wednesday opened formal proceedings against online travel platform Booking.com to investigate whether it breached the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to adequately tackle fraudulent accommodation listings, phishing scams and advertising transparency issues.

The investigation will assess whether Booking.com properly identified and addressed risks associated with fake accommodation listings, including non-existent properties, impersonation fraud and offers that do not comply with applicable requirements, the commission said in a statement.

The EU executive will also examine whether the platform took sufficient measures to prevent fraudulent listings from appearing on its service and protect consumers from potential scams.

Another key focus is phishing attacks that target Booking.com users by exploiting reservation details and guest data.

The commission will assess whether Booking.com adequately evaluated the risks arising from sharing reservation information with accommodation providers, as well as the design and operation of its messaging service.

It will also examine whether sufficient safeguards are in place to prevent the misuse of personal data for sending phishing messages and soliciting fraudulent payments from customers.

The commission said it would conduct an in-depth investigation as a priority, gathering additional evidence through requests for information, interviews, and inspections.

Depending on the findings, the commission may impose interim measures, issue non-compliance decisions or accept commitments from Booking.com to address the concerns under investigation.

The proceedings will determine whether the platform has met its obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which establishes rules for online platforms and seeks to address risks to users and improve transparency in digital services.