The Number of Booking Scams is Rising, Read Reviews!

Recently, comments about scams that people experience through online booking of private accommodation have become increasingly common on social media. Although most of them relate to reservations through various rental groups on Facebook, criticisms of Booking.com, which has so far been considered a fairly safe platform, are also becoming more frequent. In one travel group, a woman complained that she booked an apartment through Booking.com, but when she arrived at the accommodation, nothing resembled the photos of the accommodation posted on the platform. Nevertheless, she was obliged to pay 220 euros for the reserved nights, but as she said, her card was fortunately empty, so there was no possibility for that amount to be ‘charged’.

The author of another comment complained that he found an apartment in the center of Cavtat through Booking.com that he wanted to rent for nine days for 700 euros. He found the owner of the apartment through Google search, and when he contacted her, she said that the apartment was full at that time and that it was impossible for him to have received an available term. – As soon as we activated the card for the reservation, a Cypriot number contacted us on WhatsApp with some strange written conversation. I contacted Booking.com to report this suspicious event and asked them to check, to which they replied that everything was fine and that the reservation was confirmed, that they had spoken with the owners. I requested direct communication with the landlord, and again someone contacted me in English via messages, which led me to think that the owner of the accommodation was a foreigner. We canceled the reservation in time, but I do not understand how Booking.com is unable to control these rental accounts, the group member explained.

It seems that one needs to be more cautious than ever when making reservations, given the very high percentage of online scams that recently do not only concern large business systems but also private individuals, and that there are more and more foreign renters in Croatia, some of whom bypass regulations, especially in non-commercial accommodation.

It is obviously not difficult today to ‘copy’ someone’s rental page or photos from someone else’s profile, but what still provides some security are the reviews of previous visitors that people often overlook, primarily focusing on basic information and attractive photos. Those who have experience with reservations on platforms will say that accommodation without comments or those with a rating below 8.0 can be considered suspicious or at least insufficiently quality.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports explains that no property can be advertised on platforms that do not have a valid categorization decision, i.e., confirmation that the property is registered for that activity, and that platforms are obliged to publish the so-called property ID that they must request from the renters.

– Behind the platforms are foreign owners who are not obliged to comply with regulations in other countries, including ours, and that is the reason why discussions are being held at the level of the European Commission about directives that will regulate this problem. In other countries, especially in metropolises, there are similar problems with scams, accommodation is often not categorized. However, the most scams still occur when booking accommodation through informal channels such as social networks, emphasized Monika Udovičić, director of the Directorate for the System of Tourist Boards, Categorization, and Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Therefore, every legal renter must request a VAT ID number from the tax administration, which must be entered on the platform profile for tax calculation; however, the question is whether Booking.com controls whether everyone has entered that number.

Booking.com responds that security and protection are their main priorities and that they invest heavily in protecting partners and guests in accommodation through teams that monitor and block suspicious activities 24 hours a day.

– Unfortunately, scams are a real threat to every online business from malicious third parties, and we understand the impact they can have on our users, who can become victims of these professional scammers. It is important to emphasize that the vast majority of millions of stays we facilitate occur without any problems, but if in very rare cases users encounter a problem, we are pleased to offer 24-hour global customer support, available in 44 different languages, they emphasize at Booking.com.

They also add that they take the verification of property advertisements very seriously and conduct a series of checks before allowing them to open a profile on the platform.

Travelers who wish to book a trip are advised to check the reviews of the accommodation in the app or on the official website, where the URL must be Booking.com. – We will never ask users to provide credit card information via SMS, messages, or email, nor will our accommodation partners. If they are concerned about the messages they receive, we advise them to check the accommodation payment policy, which is easy to find on the accommodation profile or in their reservation confirmation, they conclude at Booking.com.