EU Opens Booking.com Investigation Over Fake Listings and Phishing Scams

The inquiry focuses on whether Booking.com has done enough to prevent scams on its service, including cases in which accommodation listings may be fake or fraudulent. The Commission is examining whether users’ data could be exploited by scammers and whether the platform has adequate protections for consumers exposed to online fraud.

A separate strand of the investigation concerns advertising transparency. The Commission is assessing whether listings whose providers paid for a higher position in search results were clearly marked as advertisements. That question puts the platform’s presentation of paid visibility alongside its handling of fraudulent or misleading accommodation offers.

The investigation is being conducted under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which places obligations on online platforms in relation to risks and harmful or illegal content. The Commission is examining whether Booking.com breached, or may have breached, those obligations; opening the case does not itself establish that a violation occurred.

The Guardian reported that a Commission official characterized Booking.com’s approach to fraudulent listings and phishing scams as “absolutely substandard.” According to that reporting, the official said the company had taken measures but could go further with stronger systems to prevent fraud. The characterization is the Commission’s assessment as reported by The Guardian, rather than a final legal finding.

Booking.com said it was fully cooperating or engaging constructively with the investigation. The company said security, trust and the protection of personal information were priorities, and that it remained committed to working with governments, regulators, law-enforcement bodies and industry partners to combat cybercrime and online fraud and protect travellers and partners.

The case therefore brings two related issues into focus: how a booking platform identifies and responds to fraudulent activity, and how it distinguishes commercial promotion from ordinary search results. The first concerns the risk that users may lose money or disclose information to scammers; the second concerns whether people can understand why a particular accommodation offer appears more prominently. Both areas are expressly covered by the Commission’s inquiry.

Euronews reports that there is no fixed legal deadline for the investigation to conclude. It also reports that Booking.com may propose measures intended to address the Commission’s concerns. Those procedural details do not indicate what the regulator will ultimately decide or whether any proposed measures would be accepted.

The available reporting does not establish a final finding of legal liability, an outcome for the investigation or the exact consequences that could follow. For now, the Commission’s action marks a formal examination of Booking.com’s fraud-prevention and advertising practices under the Digital Services Act, while the company’s response is that it will cooperate with regulators and continue prioritizing security and personal-data protection.