EU Opens Booking.com Investigation Over Fake Listings and Phishing Scams

Reports of fraud on Booking.com have prompted European scrutiny of the platform's safeguards. Telegraaf reported that the European Commission opened its investigation after widespread reports involving fake accommodation listings and phishing attempts.

The concern is not simply that criminals use the service. It is whether Booking.com has done enough to counter them. According to DIE ZEIT, the Commission suspects the platform has taken insufficient action against fake advertisements and other risks.

On October 21, 2026, the Commission opened formal proceedings against Booking.com. elEconomista.es reported that the case concerns whether the platform took measures required by the EU's Digital Services Act to address phishing and fraudulent advertisements.

The allegations focus on shortcomings in the platform's response, rather than an established finding of wrongdoing. ABC described the investigation as examining suspected failures to tackle false listings and phishing scams.

The scope extends beyond fake accommodation offers. Deutschlandfunk reported that possible data protection risks are also being examined, while Adnkronos identified data dissemination and the transparency of sponsored advertisements as further subjects of scrutiny.

Booking.com said it would cooperate fully, according to Adnkronos. The Irish Times reported that the Commission intends to conduct an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority.

Booking.com is now subject to a formal Commission investigation. The reported allegations concern the adequacy of its protections against fraud and other risks, not a final determination that it violated EU rules, according to the proceedings described by elEconomista.es.

The company's stated position is full cooperation, according to Adnkronos. The supplied coverage does not give a timetable for completing the inquiry.

The central question is whether Booking.com's measures against fraudulent listings and phishing meet its Digital Services Act obligations. That is the basis of the formal proceedings reported by elEconomista.es.

The investigation will also test the concerns about data handling and sponsored advertising identified by Adnkronos. The Commission's promised priority investigation is the next stage, according to the Irish Times, but the coverage gives no date for findings.