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.

The owners will never have card details via booking
Thats the point of booking, host get paid after guest leave by booking.com themselves. So you pay booking, then booking pays hosts, booking are a middle man. It means any cancellations or refunds have to be done via booking not host, as host hasn’t received any money at this point.

I thought there was a way that owners could charge differently.

From Booking.com

Accessing guests’ credit card details | Booking.com for Partners

To charge a credit card for reservations, you need to have access to your guest's credit card details. You can access these details through the extranet or the Pulse app, and charge the credit card directly according to the reservation policy. Credit card details can be accessed up to three times and for a maximum of 10 days after the guest's check-out or cancellation date.

Contact us if you need access to a CVC code. Keep in mind, when you’ve viewed the CVC once, it will no longer be visible. Never take a screenshot of your guest’s credit card details, and never write them down.

(Interesting security approach here)

I’m sorry but you are wrong here.

BDC give me full credit card details including the CVC for guests and I charge the card directly. BDC do not take any money at all from the guests and if refunds are requested, they are entirely down to me. This gives me complete financial control of the booking.

BDC send me an invoice each month for any commission they are due.

Some owners do allow BDC to take payments on their behalf but by no means all.

@cakeorwine - I’m not sure. It’s the only way I have seen available to us and we have used as a host almost 10 years.

We have direct bookings via out direct website where we also do not get guests bank details, it’s done via Stripe/ PayPal or other secure methods. But direct we can issue a refund or alteration by asking the provider ie Stripe to issue it. That’s why some places take ‘ up to 14 days’ as the hotel, apartment or wherever don’t issue themselves.

But via booking, Airbnb or similar they are who you have payment agreement with effectively and not the host or owner.

Ps booking, Airbnb charge most hosts min 15% extra. That’s why it’s often 10-15% cheaper to book direct. Ie if you book apartment via Airbnb for £1000, the owner will have to pay Airbnb around £150 I. Fees, so they will only get £850 from them. If you book direct most hosts will therefore rent for £900 ish as they make more profit and you pay less

Trust your instincts OP. Stop trying to convince yourself it's NOT a scam.

Even if it isn't, it's poorly managed and needs addressing through correct channels.

@Elphame - I also get monthly commission details but it’s just for tax info, it’s already taken. But booking handles all fees and commissions. I do not get any bank details. Maybe in uk?
I wouldn’t want it tbh. Otherwise guests book, I would get paid, and then I would have to refund if cancelled? This way I just don’t get paid until guests have 100% stayed and happy

Which is what I've done.

I have messaged them and updated my card details on Booking.com

Generally speaking if something is unexpected and urgent the likelihood is its a scam

So badly written. Ignore it.

You should also update your booking.com password if you haven't already, in case you have been hacked.

secure.booking.com/help

There's a phone number

Also, are you sure that the host is a genuine host? There are lots of scammers who set up fake listings.

(I'm a BDC host and hear about all the nightmares.)

Also, if you are paying them direct and there’s a problem, then 99% of people would just say that and allow you to complete payment on arrival. They wouldn’t just cancel.

Yes I am uk.

I only take bookings from BDC on a completely non refundable basis so any refund is entirely at my discretion and depends on me being able to relet the dates. It’s very clear on booking so I don’t get the timewasters and scammers that people with more flexible terms are plagued with.

It's a scam, BDC will not help, Ignore, never click a link - we are still getting similar for a booking which we had last September - no longer using BDC after so much of this their security is wrong somewhere

Are you sure that the listing was even real in the first place

@Elphame - ah we have a fully refundable up to 1 month before policy. Many of our bookings start over 12 months beforehand, so I prefer flexiblity of allowing guests that book early to cancel any time without me having to deal with it. Those weeks always re-fill back up so it’s fine. I didn’t know bdc allowed direct, but I guess if that works for you.

www.theguardian.com/money/2023/oct/23/bookingcom-customers-targeted-by-scam-confirmation-emails

https://www.booking.com/customer-service.en-gb.html

Yep. I lost a booking on booking.com because it looked exactly like a scam...but it wasn't 🤷‍♀️

I had that before, absolute scam. They sent it via WhatsApp and I got into quite a lively conversation with the scammer 😄

They did know the room type I had booked and the dates as I tested them so that could easily convince some people, but they obviously couldn't answer what special request I'd asked for or which hotel member of staff I'd spoken to.

UPDATE:

I did send a couple of messages to the apartment yesterday.
This morning, I got a message:
.................................................................................

Hello *
unfortunately, we still have not recorded any payment for your reservation number: ** in our apartment:

We kindly ask you to make the payment via the * payment link given in the previous message.

If payment is not received in accordance with the selected conditions, the reservation may be cancelled. You will receive an email notification after cancellation.

If the bank transfer has already been made, please ignore this message. Updating the card details in the booking may result in another download attempt.
In case of additional questions, we remain at your disposal.

Best Regards

....................................................................................

So I replied and told them that Booking.com says that you shouldn't respond to links in a message.

They also haven't replied to my actual messages in a more "human" way.

But there was an attempt to charge my card yesterday from a company with what looks like the correct apartment details

I am going to ring Customer Services today - if this is genuine, then it's going against all Booking.coms guidelines and advice.

Is there any other accommodation at your destination? I would be very reluctant to proceed with this booking now as I agree that the owners don't seem very au fait with booking.com requirements or data security.

Wow...that was the most hopeless customer service call ever.

The person could not answer a question. I asked if she could see the messages. All I got was a "Ah hah". I didn't want a "Ah hah", I wanted a yes or no.

She didn't seem to understand that links in messages were suspicious or that people shouldn't be sending links in messages.

But she did ring the apartment and spoke to someone. Apparently they were using the details but it kept declining. The card is perfectly fine so they are not adding the correct details.

They told Booking.com that the link was fine to use. Or I could do a bank transfer.

I asked the customer service representative if she told them that they shouldn't be using links in messages. All I got was a "Ah hah". Not a Yes or a No.

Technically, the cancellation date was yesterday. I don't want to cancel as that might end up costing us money. I am going to ring the apartment on the phone number provided. I am unhappy that they didn't reply to any of my actual messages.

I am now really unhappy at the poor customer service from BDC