Help with fraudulent hotel booking
Discussion
I’m looking for some advice about further steps to take in this slightly unusual situation. In summary
- I was alerted to this through email confirmation by booking website - thanks for your booking at hotel x, etc here’s your confirmation number
- Bookingwebsite app corroborates this, so the booking has been made and is real, but not by me
- Money has left my bank account, transaction labelled as bookingwebsite as it normally would be if I’d made the booking
I’ve called my bank and reported the fraudulent transaction. They are now in the process of recovering the funds and believe will contact the hotel booking website. Card is frozen obviously.
Bookingwebsite only has an AI phone number or a messaging service with reply “within 24 hours”
And the plot thickens because according to the reviews of the property on the website, the “hotel” doesn’t even exist. Attempts to call them on the phone number on the booking would seem to confirm this.
So there are 2 issues
1. A fraudulent booking has been made through my account and using my email address etc
2. The booking itself is for a non-existent property
Has anyone experienced this before and/or can offer any advice on further actions to take?
Thanks
- I was alerted to this through email confirmation by booking website - thanks for your booking at hotel x, etc here’s your confirmation number
- Bookingwebsite app corroborates this, so the booking has been made and is real, but not by me
- Money has left my bank account, transaction labelled as bookingwebsite as it normally would be if I’d made the booking
I’ve called my bank and reported the fraudulent transaction. They are now in the process of recovering the funds and believe will contact the hotel booking website. Card is frozen obviously.
Bookingwebsite only has an AI phone number or a messaging service with reply “within 24 hours”
And the plot thickens because according to the reviews of the property on the website, the “hotel” doesn’t even exist. Attempts to call them on the phone number on the booking would seem to confirm this.
So there are 2 issues
1. A fraudulent booking has been made through my account and using my email address etc
2. The booking itself is for a non-existent property
Has anyone experienced this before and/or can offer any advice on further actions to take?
Thanks
Never had this before, but is not a way to cancel the booking on the website, or is it a non-refundable booking?
In any case if you do use that website, then change your password and enable 2 factor authentication on it if they support that. Also change your email password to be on the safe side.
In any case if you do use that website, then change your password and enable 2 factor authentication on it if they support that. Also change your email password to be on the safe side.
Why would someone book a hotel that doesn't exist? I can't see a motive.
My e-mail address somehow escaped from booking.com and I got about 100 bounces and replies from hotels all over Europe along the lines of a lost/damaged luggage scam. As far as I can tell nothing happened, at least not to me.
My e-mail address somehow escaped from booking.com and I got about 100 bounces and replies from hotels all over Europe along the lines of a lost/damaged luggage scam. As far as I can tell nothing happened, at least not to me.
Some banks allow you to create a "disposable" debit card (number and CVC) which can be created and shut down fairly easily. Natwest has recently (at least for me, with an app update) introduced this but many others already do it.
I am assuming its a debit card since you say your bank, and not a credit card company, is investigating the fraudulent transaction.
I am assuming its a debit card since you say your bank, and not a credit card company, is investigating the fraudulent transaction.
Simpo Two said:
Why would someone book a hotel that doesn't exist? I can't see a motive.
My e-mail address somehow escaped from booking.com and I got about 100 bounces and replies from hotels all over Europe along the lines of a lost/damaged luggage scam. As far as I can tell nothing happened, at least not to me.
Easy if the booker is the “hotel”My e-mail address somehow escaped from booking.com and I got about 100 bounces and replies from hotels all over Europe along the lines of a lost/damaged luggage scam. As far as I can tell nothing happened, at least not to me.
blueovercream said:
I m looking for some advice about further steps to take in this slightly unusual situation. In summary
- I was alerted to this through email confirmation by booking website - thanks for your booking at hotel x, etc here s your confirmation number
- Bookingwebsite app corroborates this, so the booking has been made and is real, but not by me
- Money has left my bank account, transaction labelled as bookingwebsite as it normally would be if I d made the booking
I ve called my bank and reported the fraudulent transaction. They are now in the process of recovering the funds and believe will contact the hotel booking website. Card is frozen obviously.
Bookingwebsite only has an AI phone number or a messaging service with reply within 24 hours
And the plot thickens because according to the reviews of the property on the website, the hotel doesn t even exist. Attempts to call them on the phone number on the booking would seem to confirm this.
So there are 2 issues
1. A fraudulent booking has been made through my account and using my email address etc
2. The booking itself is for a non-existent property
Has anyone experienced this before and/or can offer any advice on further actions to take?
Thanks
If you use the login details for anything else you should assume your account on said "anything else"s are compromised.- I was alerted to this through email confirmation by booking website - thanks for your booking at hotel x, etc here s your confirmation number
- Bookingwebsite app corroborates this, so the booking has been made and is real, but not by me
- Money has left my bank account, transaction labelled as bookingwebsite as it normally would be if I d made the booking
I ve called my bank and reported the fraudulent transaction. They are now in the process of recovering the funds and believe will contact the hotel booking website. Card is frozen obviously.
Bookingwebsite only has an AI phone number or a messaging service with reply within 24 hours
And the plot thickens because according to the reviews of the property on the website, the hotel doesn t even exist. Attempts to call them on the phone number on the booking would seem to confirm this.
So there are 2 issues
1. A fraudulent booking has been made through my account and using my email address etc
2. The booking itself is for a non-existent property
Has anyone experienced this before and/or can offer any advice on further actions to take?
Thanks
It might be useful to put your details into https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Not to be a debbie downer but this might turn into a big hassle for you depedning on how "disciplined" you've been about cyber security.
andburg said:
Simpo Two said:
Why would someone book a hotel that doesn't exist? I can't see a motive.
My e-mail address somehow escaped from booking.com and I got about 100 bounces and replies from hotels all over Europe along the lines of a lost/damaged luggage scam. As far as I can tell nothing happened, at least not to me.
Easy if the booker is the hotel My e-mail address somehow escaped from booking.com and I got about 100 bounces and replies from hotels all over Europe along the lines of a lost/damaged luggage scam. As far as I can tell nothing happened, at least not to me.
To complicate matters...
I have a friend who owned a hotel on a Scottish Island, after Covid he struggled with getting the occupancy numbers back to where they were, he decided to use a very popular booking site to help increase his bookings - which worked perfectly.
However, he was telling me that regardless of whether the customer pays in full or on the day he doesn't get any money from the booking (minus the booking fee) for 90 days after the booking has been completed.
So with this in mind I'm unsure how this scam would work.
I have a friend who owned a hotel on a Scottish Island, after Covid he struggled with getting the occupancy numbers back to where they were, he decided to use a very popular booking site to help increase his bookings - which worked perfectly.
However, he was telling me that regardless of whether the customer pays in full or on the day he doesn't get any money from the booking (minus the booking fee) for 90 days after the booking has been completed.
So with this in mind I'm unsure how this scam would work.
Freakuk said:
To complicate matters...
I have a friend who owned a hotel on a Scottish Island, after Covid he struggled with getting the occupancy numbers back to where they were, he decided to use a very popular booking site to help increase his bookings - which worked perfectly.
However, he was telling me that regardless of whether the customer pays in full or on the day he doesn't get any money from the booking (minus the booking fee) for 90 days after the booking has been completed.
So with this in mind I'm unsure how this scam would work.
Never mind the OP, that's a fI have a friend who owned a hotel on a Scottish Island, after Covid he struggled with getting the occupancy numbers back to where they were, he decided to use a very popular booking site to help increase his bookings - which worked perfectly.
However, he was telling me that regardless of whether the customer pays in full or on the day he doesn't get any money from the booking (minus the booking fee) for 90 days after the booking has been completed.
So with this in mind I'm unsure how this scam would work.

Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff