A series of fraudulent listings on Booking.com has led tourists to believe they had secured luxury London accommodation, only to arrive at locations such as a Wetherspoon pub. Consumer protection group Which? reported that staff at The Liberty Bounds, a Wetherspoon pub near Tower Bridge, have been turning away up to 20 misled travelers daily.
One victim, Paul Dawson, paid £73 for a stay at the so-called "London Crown" apartments. After discovering the address corresponded to a pub, he contacted Booking.com for assistance. Mr. Dawson stated that the platform's support staff insisted he visit the non-existent property in person before they would consider rebooking him, a requirement he described as "catastrophic" given his family's needs. He ultimately secured alternative lodging at his own expense.
Investigations revealed that criminals utilized sophisticated phishing tactics to hijack the accounts of legitimate properties. In another instance, a listing for "Apartments near Big Ben" used the address of Portcullis House, a government building housing parliamentary offices. Furthermore, Booking.com's AI-powered trip planner, "Dot," failed to identify the scam, incorrectly validating the "London Crown" listing while citing impossible amenities, such as proximity to Longleat Safari Park—a location over 100 miles away from London.
Wetherspoon has expressed frustration, noting that they have repeatedly alerted Booking.com to the issue. While Booking.com stated they have suspended the affected accounts and are working to address the security breaches, many customers reported that their initial warnings to the platform regarding the suspicious listings were ignored. Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, emphasized that online platforms have a legal obligation to remove illegal content once identified and warned that they are prepared to enforce the Online Safety Act against non-compliant services.
Source: BBC News
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