Accommodation bookings in France are exploding during this summer season punctuated by family vacations and the Olympic Games. Scammers are taking advantage of this to go on the attack.
During this summer period, tourists flock to the Olympic Games, while the French are looking for seasonal rentals to go and relax in peace with their families. The Booking.com site is therefore experiencing a peak in visits for all reservations for hotels, cottages or apartments allowing individuals to get away for a little while for the summer holidays. The problem is that with this influx, the scammers are also there.
According to UFC-Que Choisir, many people have been victims of the same scam after booking accommodation in France or abroad. They have in fact received a message by email or via the Booking messaging service, from the establishment in question, asking them to provide their bank details, at the risk of seeing their reservation cancelled. The deceptive email perfectly imitates the interface of the Booking.com site: “The message contains all my contact details, dates, reservation number… it is perfect in terms of content and form. I go to the proposed link and, likewise, I end up on the official Booking site where I am asked to confirm my bank details” testifies one of the victims to the Consumer Association.
Of course, the link redirects the customer to a fake site. When the victim provides their credit card details and validates their payment to confirm their vacation rental reservation, the site then displays an error page. The scammers have obtained the payment using the well-known phishing technique.
The worst part is that the victims of this well-crafted scam are unable to obtain a refund. And for good reason: the Booking site is not held responsible for this mishap since the scam redirects to an external site. In addition, travelers validate their bank details of their own free will and do not go through the two-factor authentication system. Result: the bank also refuses any compensation. A few lucky people have managed to get compensation after a long procedure, but for everyone, their vacation is ruined.