Which?, a UK consumer advocacy organization, conducted a test by uploading a fraudulent property listing to Booking.com purporting to be a one-bedroom apartment at 10 Downing Street, the UK Prime Minister’s residence. The listing featured images of the iconic building’s front door and was advertised as a prime central London location. Booking.com did not remove the listing until 27 August, approximately two months after it was uploaded on 18 June.
During a 20-minute window that Which? opened to test the platform’s systems, the organization found that 14 people attempted to book the fake property. A fake review praising the stay and mentioning the Prime Minister’s cat, Larry, was also posted and passed the site’s moderation checks. Additionally, Which? researchers received a message containing an external link requesting payment confirmation—a tactic typically used in phishing scams that Booking.com’s systems failed to flag or remove.
Booking.com responded by stating that the listing was not “live” across the two-month period, which prevented some of its automatic fraud controls from triggering complete removal. The company emphasized that it employs a range of verification measures and artificial intelligence technologies designed to detect and remove the majority of fraudulent listings within 24 hours. A spokesperson noted that visible reminders and booking confirmations provide additional guidance to customers regarding suspicious links.
Which? Travel editor Rory Boland characterized the platform’s security measures as “unfit for purpose,” arguing that if Booking.com’s AI systems cannot identify that a UK government building is not available as a holiday rental, scammers can easily exploit the platform. The consumer group called for stronger enforcement under the Online Safety Act, urging Ofcom, the regulatory body overseeing the legislation, to compel booking platforms to remove fraudulent content more rapidly. Ofcom acknowledged existing legal duties requiring swift removal of illegal content once platforms become aware of it.
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