Vacationers and travelers alike use a variety of methods to book their next trip. Making travel plans has become easier than ever with secondary sites having all the details conveniently in one place.

You can go to each website directly to book hotels, airfare, and rental cars, or you can book all of them right on one travel marketplace website like Booking.com. Regardless of where you’re making all your reservations, it’s important to keep the security of your personal information in mind. Unfortunately, there have been multiple incidents of scamming reported by people who have booked trips through Booking.com.

According to The Sunday Morning Herald Traveller, an Australian news source, many Booking.com customers have been receiving phishing messages and scamming emails since November. And the number increased sevenfold last year, in 2023, according to The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch program.

The ACCC program shared that there were 363 scamming reports related to Booking.com between January 2nd and December 31st, 2023. These reports showed losses of more than $337,000. This is compared to the reported 53 reports in 2022.

The customers have received sophisticated emails that appear to be from the accommodation partner requesting information to keep their current reservation. Accounts of the phishing scandals were that they were very believable.

Booking.com shared that their platform had not been breached, but that many of their accommodation partners were being targeted by scammers to try to take over the host’s computer system. The scammers then impersonated the accommodation partners and tricked the guests into giving financial information.

The Booking.com spokesperson shared, “We understand the importance of keeping the data we are entrusted with secure. That’s why we continue to make significant investments to limit the impact and have put new measures and alerts in place to update and protect our customers, as well as our accommodation partners.”

They continued with what a customer can do if they have questions, stating, “If a customer ever has any concerns about a payment message, we encourage them to first carefully check the payment policy details outlined on the property listing page and in their booking confirmation.”

If you notice a suspicious email after booking your vacation here are some steps you can take to avoid being scammed.

• Contact customer service via the booking website or by clicking “report an issue” on Booking.com
• Verify the email through the accommodation’s website
• Contact the hotel via phone using a number directly from their website (not from the received email)
• Using the Booking.com app or website through your account to confirm and verify your information and itinerary

It’s also good to remember that no legitimate hotel or accommodation will ever have you send sensitive information such as credit card numbers through emails, chat messaging, text, or generally over the phone.

If you’re ever unsure if the email you’ve received is legitimate, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Contact the hotel or business via their website right away to verify any necessary information. You can book numerous hotels around Disney World via third-party websites like Booking.com.

But if you’re looking for any help to get your trip planned, we recommend Small World Vacation! You’ll work directly with a real person who has TONS of Disney trip experience.

We hope this helps you while you’re planning your next vacation! We’ll be on the lookout for more travel news, but in the meantime, keep following DFB!

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