Booking.com customers warned of 'reservation hijacking' by fraudsters following hack
Customers have been warned to be suspicious of criminals posing as the company and demanding payment for phony 'reservation problems'
A recent data breach at travel giant Booking.com has exposed customers to potential criminal scams known as “reservation hijacks”.
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The recent cyber-attack saw hackers steal personal customer data, which experts have warned may lead to criminals posing as the company and tricking customers into sending them money.
In response, Booking.com says it has updated Pins for reservations and is contacting customers to warn them of the increased risk.
However, the organisation has not disclosed exactly how many people have been affected by the hack and in which regions.
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The Dutch company is one of the largest travel corporations in the world, boasting almost seven billion check-ins since 2010.
In a recent email to customers, the travel service said: "We recently noticed suspicious activity affected a number of reservations and we immediately took action to contain the issue."
It explained that criminals have been able to obtain names, emails, phone numbers, and booking details. Booking.com maintains that customers' financial information has not been compromised by the breach.
In the aftermath of the hack, the company is conscious that customers will be increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, known as “reservation hijacks”.
This type of scam involves criminals contacting Booking.com users and posing as hotels to trick customers into sending them money based on so-called reservation problems.
Customers have been reminded that Booking.com will never ask guests to share personal financial information or make a bank transfer over the phone.
Booking.com has long been a favourite target of hackers. Previous attacks have seen criminals hacking into hotels to access their internal Booking.com account, and send out phoney phishing emails and text messages.
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: "We recently noticed some suspicious activity involving unauthorised third parties being able to access some of our guests’ booking information, which may include booking details, names, email addresses, and phone numbers and anything that travelers may have shared with the accommodation.
"Financial information was not accessed from Booking.com’s systems, nor were guests' physical addresses. Upon discovering the activity, we took action to contain the issue. We have updated the PIN number for these reservations and informed our guests."