Fraudsters usually impersonate well-known companies or institutions and, in broken Polish, ask us to click on a link, log in to a crafted website or make a small payment. This time, however, they went a step further, writing to victims from real accounts on the Booking.com platform.
Have you received such a message? This is a “Booking” scam
As Niebezpiecznik.pl noticed, there are a growing number of “Booking” scams, which are extremely dangerous because they are very difficult for most victims to detect. Cybercriminals send messages to people who have actually booked accommodation in one of the hotels on the platform. The messages ask you to pay for the reservation by transfer to a designated (i.e. belonging to the fraudsters) bank account. However, this way it is easy to lose several hundred or several thousand zlotys.
The fraud is difficult to detect because cybercriminals send messages from official hotel accounts to customers who have actually booked a stay there. They may also have information about the reservation, including – perhaps most importantly – the amount needed to pay. For people who use the Booking.com platform occasionally, such messages may not arouse any suspicion at all. Only after some time (or after reaching the destination) it turns out that the hotel stay was not paid for at all.
As Niebezpiecznik.pl writes, the messages actually come from real accounts that have been taken over by fraudsters. This is a new type of “Booking” scam, launched at the beginning of this year. Back then, the fraudsters created criminals. However, the criminals contacted their victims via WhatsApp.
It is worth remembering that when booking a stay, e.g. via Booking.com, payment (if required before arrival) must also be made via the platform. Usually, when booking a hotel or apartment, it is necessary to enter the payment card details that we use to confirm the reservation. We should not send the transfer to the bank account indicated in the message.
Source: Gazeta
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