European Commission Investigates Booking.com Over Consumer Scams

The European Commission opened a formal investigation into Booking.com on October 21, 2026, to determine if the travel platform breached the Digital Services Act. Regulators allege the company maintains an absolutely substandard approach to mitigating systemic risks, specifically concerning phishing scams, non-existent properties, and fraudulent listings.

The probe focuses on whether the company failed to protect user data from reservation hijacks and whether it violated advertising transparency rules by failing to clearly label paid listings that receive higher search visibility. The investigation follows reports of security lapses exposed by a UK consumer group and a rise in scams powered by generative AI.

Booking.com stated it is cooperating fully with the proceedings. If the company is found in violation of the Digital Services Act, it could face fines of up to 6% of its worldwide annual turnover.