THE European Commission has opened formal proceedings against Booking[.]com under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to assess whether the platform did enough to curb fake property listings and phishing scams, and to check if boosted paid listings are clearly labelled as ads.
The investigation focuses on three areas: fraudulent listings, such as non-existent properties or impersonation fraud; phishing risks linked to how reservation and guest data is shared with accommodation providers and how Booking[.]com’s messaging service is designed and operated; and whether boosted listings present ads transparently to users. Regulators will consider safeguards that might have prevented criminals from exploiting guest data to carry out phishing or fraudulent payments.
The Commission notes Booking[.]com handles a substantial share of Europe’s online accommodation bookings and highlights a reported 500-fold increase in fraud between 2022 and 2024. If confirmed, failures in these areas could breach Articles 34, 35 and 26(1) of the DSA, potentially resulting in fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. Booking[.]com says it is cooperating fully and prioritising security and data protection.
The Commission will gather further evidence through information requests, interviews or inspections, and may impose interim measures or seek commitments from the company. The proceedings do not prejudge the final outcome.