Which? Exposes Booking.com Fraud Gap With Fake 10 Downing Street Listing
· Business · BBC News
UK consumer group Which? created a fake Booking.com listing for 10 Downing Street on 18 June, advertising a "1 bedroom apartment in the heart of London" with images of the PM's iconic front door. During a 20-minute window, 14 people requested to book the property, and Which? said the platform allowed a message directing its researcher to an external link to confirm payment details — a typical phishing tactic. Booking.com did not remove the listing until two months later and told the BBC some automatic fraud controls were not triggered because the listing was not "live" across that period. The company said AI tools help detect and remove most fraudulent listings within 24 hours. Which? Travel editor Rory Boland called the platform's checks "unfit for purpose," warning that ordinary holidaymakers risk losing thousands of pounds to bogus listings and phishing links.
Why it matters
Indian travellers are among the heaviest users of Booking.com globally, making platform-side fraud prevention a direct consumer-safety concern for anyone booking European or UK holidays through the site.
Read the original report — BBC News
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