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Booking.com Security Overlooked Fake Downing Street Listing in Which? Fraud Test

Researchers from Which? successfully listed a fake apartment at 10 Downing Street on Booking.com to test the platform's fraud defenses. The listing included the exact address, photos of the UK Prime Minister's residence, and a description of a one-bedroom property near Parliament. Booking.com processed a payment for a week-long stay and failed to refund it even after more than six weeks. A fabricated positive review mentioning the official cat Larry was approved almost instantly. The platform also permitted a phishing link sent through its internal chat system asking for credit card details. The listing remained active from June 18 until its removal on August 27, prompting Which? to call for an Ofcom investigation into Booking.com's systemic security failures.

AntiMalwareTranslated from Russian

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Researchers from the consumer organization Which? created a fraudulent listing on Booking.com offering a one-bedroom apartment at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK Prime Minister. The ad featured the precise address, photographs of the famous building, and a description promoting it as "one-bedroom accommodation in the heart of London," just four minutes' walk from Parliament.

The listing went live on 18 June, with booking temporarily enabled for the test. Booking.com processed payment for a week-long stay, yet the funds were not returned to the researcher more than six weeks later. A fake review praising an exceptional stay and interaction with Larry, the official mouser at the residence, passed moderation almost immediately.

Through Booking.com's internal messaging system, the researchers sent an external link requesting bank card details under the pretext of confirming the reservation. Despite the company's claims that its systems block suspicious URLs, no intervention occurred. The listing was finally removed on 27 August.

Which? described the results as evidence of systemic failures and urged UK regulator Ofcom to launch an investigation. Editor of Which? Travel Rory Boland stated that if Booking.com's sophisticated AI cannot recognize that 10 Downing Street is not a holiday home, it is unsurprising that fraudsters exploit the platform so easily.

Booking.com responded that the experiment does not reflect the experience of millions of customers and claimed the listing was never publicly available, meaning certain anti-fraud mechanisms were not activated.

Booking.comWhich?OfcomRory Boland
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