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Booking.com possible phishing messages- How to get help?

I have a reservation through Booking.com that is just over a month away. This morning, I received a series of messages through the Booking.com property messaging tool saying that I needed to click a link to confirm reservation and payment details, or my reservation would be cancelled. The concerning thing is that the message was sent to me eight times over a span of a few hours and had numerous grammar/spelling issues. The length of time it stated I had to respond also changed between messages. Based on a Google search, I’m concerned that someone is sending a phishing scam through the property’s messaging service. The urgency and errors in the message are not consistent with something a professional property manager would send. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to get ahold of anyone at Booking.com to ask about it. They don’t seem to have a phone number posted on the website, and there isn’t an option to send a message to them showing. I emailed the property separately, but they haven’t responded.

I’m hoping to ensure that everything is OK with my reservation and that the property listing itself isn’t a scam- I had messaged them in the past and they were very professional, unlike these messages, and have plenty of reviews on and off Booking.com. Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Have you found any ways to successfully get ahold of Booking.com for help?
Thank you!

Posted by
1780 posts

Perhaps the US version of the booking.com is different from the Dutch one, but when I log in to their website I can see their customer service telephone number. It’s a Dutch telephone number, so I’m guessing they also have a US number.

Posted by
3353 posts

Go to https://www.booking.com/ and scroll to the bottom of the page to “Support.” Click on “Contact us” and you’ll get choice of emailing or calling their customer support team. The emails you have received seem to be phishing emails. Do not respond or click on any links!

Posted by
10656 posts

This does sound bad, and some people here have indeed reported having something sketchy happen with booking.com along these hacking lines. Luckily you are vigilant and noticed these emails and have not clicked.

I think I will change my log-in over there as soon as I get home in a little bit.

The advice to call them from the number given on their website is good.

Posted by
45 posts

Thank you both. Unfortunately, I wish it was that easy- perhaps it is different in each country. When I click the "Contact Us" page, it provides no phone number and only has pre-listed options for things you can do to the reservation, no way to message a person. Any other ideas?

Posted by
45 posts

Another thing with the message that is concerning is it came the day before my credit card is scheduled to be billed. Booking.com sent a legitimate notice of the payment as I expected already. It seems scammers are able to time this for when people are vigilant about their reservation.

Posted by
18 posts

It sounds like you identified the scam and didn't fall prey to it. In the future, one thing you can do is instead of clicking any link in the email, go to your web browser and go to their website directly and then logging into your account. Any notifications sent to you or requests for you to complete would be seen there.

Posted by
145 posts

This is certainly a scam. I had emails from a similar scam a year ago. The hackers take over the site of the property and make it look like the emails comes from Booking.com. Do not click on any links in these scam emails.

Posted by
193 posts

This also happened to me. Just don’t click on the link or forward your credit card info to anyone.

Changing your password will do nothing.

Your reservation is solid.

You can safely delete the messages.

It seems scammers are able to time this for when people are vigilant about their reservation.

Timing is likely serendipity.

Posted by
6237 posts

When you click on the sending email address, what do you see? Probably an unidentifiable email address. Delete all of these.
Perhaps someone here who can see the phone #from booking.com can kindly post it.
Kudos for being alert.
Have a great trip!

Posted by
2696 posts

I’ve received similar messages on multiple occasions. I reached out to the hotel directly and they confirmed that the reservations were valid and in no danger of being cancelled. My stay went fine.

In booking.com, in My Account, click Contact Customer Service. Scroll down to Security and Awareness. They talk about scams and advise how to contact them if you think you’ve been scammed.