This is scam right - Booking.com?

[cakeorwine]

Going on holiday soon. Suddenly got a message via Booking.com from the apartment saying payment declined, use the link below to pay or else the booking will be cancellled .Please pay in 2 hours.

It doesn't look over easy to report this to Booking.com

I think it's a hack via the owner's email?

I have updated my card details on Booking.com but not pressed the link

I will message the apartment and see their response.

I don't think Booking.com will address you with a "Hello". Not even starting the paragraph with a capital letter would indicate this is a scam. Hover over the email address and it will show what the real email address is, not just the name. Any time a message pressures you to act immediately with payment is usually a scam.

Yes we have had that a number of times om there. Message the apartment owner direct and make them aware.

‘Updating the card details in the booking may cause charge card’

yes, I think it’s a scam. I’m pretty sure booking.com have a good live chat service.

It's a message within Booking.com

So "the owner" has sent a message through the Booking website

However, sometimes people get their logon details hacked for Booking.com so they masquerade as the owners and send fake messages.

Yes it's a scam. The instructions to only use the link and the scare warning that changing your card details via the proper website will cause issues are all meant to entice you to click the link.

If you've checked your booking on the proper site, accessed directly not via that link, then just delete the email and ignore. Maybe report to Booking.com as a scam for their information.

Very obvious scam

Yes scam.

It wouldn’t ever happen on booking. Booking doesn’t pay hosts until after guests leave. So a host wouldn’t be refusing your booking based on that

It’s very poorly written so yes it’s a scam, Google booking.com scams and there are so many links re this being a huge scam

I have seen this exact trick before, 100% scam

It is a known weakness in the booking.com system, that hackers if can get hold of the login for business owners they can send messages like this, and it happens quite often.

They really need to upgrade their security to two stage authentication or something.

The obvious starting point is to check your payment went through. Then call Booking.com to speak to them and let them do the rest.

Sounds as though booking.com has been hacked.

Awful English and generic email, a scam,

It's obviously a scam. But it's a bit scary that the only thing that flags this up for many people is poor English - if people learn how to write correctly I'm sure more will be caught out.

In this situation if you're not sure, is there another way of contacting the owner? Also you can check your own card statement to confirm that payment wasn't declined.

It's so poorly written that it must be a scam.

Well - I'm not sure when the payment is due to go out. It's quite soon.

I have messaged the owners - and they have an email / phone number on the site as well.

It's the suspicious link, sense of urgency and an awareness that people can get scammed in this way that made this jump out for me as a scam.

I will say that Booking. com make it very difficult to find an easy way to contact Booking,com easily - nothing has jumped out for me on the website with an easy contact us button

This didn't help from Booking.com. I presume someone who had hacked the owner also updated the booking with Booking.com. But this message says update the card details within 23 hours...

money payment + dodgy link + act NOW = stinks of scam

Presumably you can check your own bank/credit card details to see if the payment has gone through? Then call booking.com to confirm

i basically treat everything as a scam these days until proven otherwise

Looks very scammy.

However check with your credit card company. That will quickly tell you if your card was really declined.

scam.

Alert booking.com to it.

Scammers are now able to hack onto the messaging services of suppliers and appear to be from them so even if it's via their website don't trust.

Contact them directly

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8003dd8jzeo

Booking.com have known about their security flaws for a couple of years at least , if you Google old news stories you will get an idea . We had the same issues at the start of the year , but with very well written emails . I have no idea why their security is so poor .

You should be able to see on your booking what the payment due date is, has that date passed already? Double check they have the correct card details on file and that there are funds available. Ask your bank if payment was attempted.

Funny how this message arrived on a Saturday with a Sunday deadline, when banks would be shut.

Yes absolutely, anything with a panicky payment deadline is a scam. We also had one from booking.com naming our apartment so I thought it was real. Thankfully dh much more cautious
I won't use them now I did some googling and they don't help to protect their customers

It does sound like a scam. Has the payment gone through on your card? Can you check online?

The stressing of making payment now and ONLY this way definiely says 'scam' to me!