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Brits warned of travel scams ahead of summer holidays

ended 27. July 2026

Around 40 new fake Booking.com websites were detected every day at the peak of the early-booking season in February, according to NordVPN. 

Booking.com accounted for roughly three-quarters of malicious URLs detected across major travel brands this year - more than every other brand combined.

AI is making copycat booking pages much harder to spot, so bad spelling and broken layouts are no longer reliable warning signs.

Dark web sellers advertise resold Booking.com reservations for £187, while hacked Airbnb accounts can go for an average of £97.

NordVPN is urging last-minute holidaymakers to go directly to trusted travel websites, check the full domain and be wary of prices far below the market rate.

  • How dangerous are holiday scams?
  • What advice do you have for people to avoid them?
  • What is your reaction to Booking.com being used in this way?

Responses today.

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Harvey Dhillon
Founder & CEO at Zmartly
The real danger of a holiday scam is not just the lost booking. It is that how you pay decides whether you ever see the money again. Scammers clone the names you trust, Booking.com most of all, because a trusted name lowers your guard. AI has wiped out the old warning signs, so bad spelling or a messy page means nothing. Here is the part an accountant cares about. Pay by credit card and Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes the card company equally responsible for anything costing more than £100, up to £30,000, so if the room does not exist you claim it back from them. A debit card only gives you chargeback, a voluntary scheme, not a legal right. Worst of all is a bank transfer to a 'host': since October 2024 banks must refund most transfer scams up to £85,000, but that is slower and not guaranteed. So book direct, type the address in yourself, and pay by credit card. If a deal pushes you to bank transfer a stranger to save a fee, that is the scam.
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Editor
Kate Allen
Owner at Finest Stays
As a holiday letting business, this is a worrying trend. AI is making fake booking websites incredibly convincing, so it's becoming much harder for consumers to spot a scam.

Our advice is simple: wherever possible, book direct with an established local company. Check they have a genuine office, a local phone number and pick up the phone to speak to someone. It's much harder to fake a real conversation than a professional-looking website.

Over 85% of our bookings come directly through our website, and booking direct often saves guests around 20% compared with using an online travel agent. Ultimately, people buy from people, and the human touch is still one of the best ways to avoid being caught out.