Travel warning as holidaymakers see bank account drained up to £900 after using huge website – red flag messages to spot

HOLIDAYMAKERS are being warned to watch out for red flags after one traveller had £900 wiped from her bank account.

Grifters have been messaging customers who have reserved hotels via the travel website Booking.com.

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Becky (whose name has been changed) is one of many who lost hundreds of pounds to a Booking.com scam while on a trip to Thailand in October 2023.

She had booked a hotel for one night in Bangkok, to stay in before heading to the airport for her flight home the next day,

However, before arriving at the hotel, she received a message on the Booking.com platform asking for payment in the local currency.

Becky said it appeared as though it came directly from hotel staff.

But she told This is Money: “I should have picked up that this was more than I paid for the hotel, but it was obviously in a different currency, and when you are panicking, your booking may be cancelled whilst, on the route in the middle of the night, it’s not your first thought.”

The Sun has previously spoken to other Booking.com users who’ve been caught out to similar scames.

Student Viktoria Tkach was duped into paying nearly £800 in one such scam.

The 21-year-old, of Greenwich in South East London, had booked a trip to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, with mum Natalie, 50, in February.

A week before departure, Viktoria got a message, apparently from the hotel, saying she must pay £791 towards her stay or the reservation would be cancelled.

She said: “Because the message appeared in my Booking.com account and looked so official, I felt like I had to follow orders.”

It wasn’t until Viktoria and her mum got to the hotel that she realised she had been scammed as the receptionist told her the full £937 for their 11-night break still had to be paid.

She felt she had no choice but to fork out a second time.

Viktoria fought for five months to get her money back, but Booking.com, the hotel and her bank all refused.

It was only when Sun Money stepped in that Booking.com agreed to a refund.

Commenting on these scams, Booking.com reiterated that its own security had not been breached but confirmed that con artists had compromised the IT systems of a number of the venues it lists.

This can happen if a member of the hotel’s staff mistakenly clicks on a link in an email sent by criminals, who can then log into the hotel’s account on the booking site and message customers directly.

Anyone who receives a message on the Booking.com platform that asks you to make a payment should call their hotel, airline or other service provider to check that they’re genuine.

How to report scams

If you think you have been a victim of a scam, you should report it as soon as possible.

There is no guarantee you’ll get your money back, but banks will often compensate you if you can show you did not know the money would leave your account.

You can forward scam emails to [email protected].

If you notice a website that doesn’t look quite right, you can also report it to the National Cyber Security Centre by visiting www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website.

You should also contact your provider and report it to Action Fraud, which will give you a crime reference number.

You can do this online by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

If you’re in Scotland, report a scam through Advice Direct Scotland online by visiting www.consumeradvice.scot. You can also report scams to Police Scotland on 101.

If you need further help, contact Citizens Advice Scams Action by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/get-help-with-online-scams or calling 0808 223 1133.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk