Fake hotel ads - Brussels is investigating Booking.com

The EU Commission is taking action against the booking platform Booking.com because of fake hotel advertisements from fraudsters and possible phishing risks. The travel portal is suspected of not having done enough against fraudsters on the platform, according to a statement from the Brussels authorities.

In the coming months, the commission will determine whether Booking is taking sufficient action against illegal offers and adequately protecting its customers' data, the commission said. Specifically, the EU Commission wants to check whether the online portal is making sufficient efforts to remove these irregular offers. If she finds deficiencies, the company faces a fine.

Booking.com said it was cooperating fully with the European Commission. We remain committed to working with the relevant authorities to combat online fraud and protect travelers and partners.

Number of fraud attempts increased by 500 percent

The investigation comes at a time when consumer advocates are warning of a growing number of online fraud cases. Booking.com itself is reporting a 500 percent increase in fraud cases on its platform worldwide, Commission officials said.

In the first half of 2026, 1,072 fraud reports were received, which resulted in damage amounting to 82,000 euros. According to the EU Commission, this corresponds to a tenfold increase compared to the previous year.

Also phishing attempts

The investigation also focuses on phishing attempts on the booking platform. Phishing is one of the most common online scams. Cybercriminals try to get sensitive data such as passwords or banking information by replying to fake messages.

The EU Commission is investigating, among other things, how the platform passes on reservation and guest data to accommodation operators and how writing messages works on the platform. In particular, it should be checked whether the company has taken sufficient security precautions to prevent user data from being misused.

The EU Commission announced that the opening of the procedure did not say anything about whether Booking.com had actually violated applicable EU rules. “Europeans should be able to book their holidays without fear of fraud,” said EU Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen.

Why do some hotels appear at the top of the search?

The Brussels internet watchdogs also want to take a closer look at how transparently Booking.com deals with paid advertising. Specifically, it's about which search results appear higher up on the booking platform for a surcharge and whether these are clearly marked as advertising.

Accommodation providers could make their offers more visible in Booking.com search results by paying a higher commission, the EU Commission said. Users should be able to clearly see that these “highlighted offers” are actually advertising.