EU opens investigation into Booking.com over travel scams

The European Commission has opened an investigation into whether Booking.com does enough to stop scams on its platform. The probe began Wednesday under the Digital Services Act, the EU's rulebook for large online platforms. An official called the company's fraud defenses "absolutely substandard."

What the EU is looking at

The investigation has three parts. Booking.com has said it is cooperating. It covers a "very large online platform," meaning one with more than 45 million users in the EU.

• Fake listings, where people pose as the owner of a property they do not own and rent it out.
• Phishing and smishing (scam texts), plus social engineering, which means tricking people into acting.
• Whether ads and boosted listings, where owners pay for higher ranking, are clearly marked in search results.

The Commission also suspects the company is not protecting the data of its customers and business users well enough.

How the scams work

An EU spokesperson described one common trick. Scammers take over a property owner's account and the contact details on it. They then pose as the owner and message guests, saying they need to pay extra amounts. To the guest, it can look like a normal message from the host.

The numbers behind the concern

Officials pointed to Booking.com's own statement from June 2024. The company said travel scams had risen 500 to 900 percent over the previous 18 months. In the Netherlands alone, there were more than 1,000 fraud reports in the first part of 2026. They caused €82,000 in damage, a tenfold increase on the previous year. An official said reports like this come from almost all EU member states.

What the EU wants

The Commission says Booking.com does assess fraud and takes some steps. But it believes the company could go much further. It expects a more careful risk assessment. That could include tackling abuse of the reservation system, removing listings quickly when fraud is reported, checking licenses and changing how property owners are signed up.

Booking.com said it is engaging constructively with the Commission. It said security, trust and the protection of personal information are top priorities.

What is not known yet

The material does not say how long the investigation will take or what penalties could follow. It also does not say whether Booking.com will change how it works. For now, the practical lesson is for travelers. Treat any request for extra payment with suspicion, even if it seems to come from the host through the app.