Booking.com Hack Leads to 'Reservation Hijacking' Scams Targeting Customers

Booking.com suffered a data breach where unauthorized parties gained access to customer booking details. The travel platform has warned customers that hackers may have accessed reservation information.

Criminals are already using the stolen data in what security firm Norton calls "reservation hijacks." The scammers contact Booking.com customers pretending to be from their booked hotels. They claim there are problems with the reservation and ask for money or personal information to fix fake issues.

Customers reported receiving warning emails from Booking.com on Sunday stating that "unauthorized third parties may have been able to access certain booking information associated with your reservation." The company changed customer PINs as a security measure but won't say how many people were affected.

The scams work because criminals have real booking details, making their fake hotel calls seem legitimate. They know where you're staying, when, and other reservation specifics that make the scam convincing.