EU opens Booking.com investigation into phishing risks and fraudulent listings
Regulators will examine how the travel platform handles fake accommodation offers, scams involving reservation data and paid listings that may not be clearly marked as ads.
The European Commission opened an investigation into Booking.com on 21 October 2026 over fraudulent accommodation listings, phishing risks and the labelling of paid placements, Reuters reported. The inquiry will examine whether the hotel reservation platform has met its obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act, a law that can bring substantial fines for violations.
The Commission said it began the investigation after a preliminary probe and an analysis of Booking.com risk assessment reports submitted this year and over the previous three years, according to Reuters. Opening the inquiry does not establish that the company has breached the law; regulators will assess how it identified the risks and what it did to reduce them.
Fraudulent listings and phishing risks under scrutiny
One focus is fake accommodation listings, including offers for properties that do not exist. Regulators will also examine impersonation fraud and accommodation offers that may not comply with applicable rules. The question for the Commission is whether Booking.com properly identified, assessed and mitigated the wider risks associated with those listings and offers, Reuters reported.
The inquiry also covers phishing scams that exploit reservation and guest data shared with accommodation providers. Such scams can reach travellers in connection with a booking, making the handling of information passed between the platform and providers part of the Commission’s examination. Reuters did not report a finding that Booking.com caused any particular scam.
A third area concerns paid placements: regulators will examine whether boosted listings are clearly identifiable to users as advertisements. That question is distinct from whether an accommodation offer is genuine, but it also affects what travellers can understand when comparing results on the site.
What the Digital Services Act means for Booking.com
The Commission lists Booking.com B.V. as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act. Its public record also shows a request for information sent to the company on 23 September 2025, before this investigation was announced.
Under the act, large online platforms must address illegal and harmful content on their services. Violations can carry fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover, Reuters reported. That is a possible maximum under the law, dependent on a finding of non-compliance, rather than a penalty imposed on Booking.com in this case.
“Europeans should be able to book their holidays without fear of being scammed,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement quoted by Reuters. She said the Digital Services Act sets responsibilities for platforms to address those risks and that the Commission must ensure the leading booking platform in Europe takes them seriously.
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Sources and context
- Booking.com targeted in EU investigation into phishing scams, fraudulent listingsCNA (Reuters)
- Supervision of the designated very large online platforms and search engines under DSAEuropean Commission
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.