Consumer protection organization Which? conducted a test of Booking.com’s security measures by uploading a fraudulent listing for 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK prime minister. The listing was advertised as a one-bedroom apartment in central London and included photographs of the building’s famous entrance. The fake property remained accessible on the platform for approximately two months before being removed on 27 August.
During a 20-minute window when Which? made the listing available for bookings, 14 people attempted to reserve the property. The test also revealed additional security lapses. Which? researchers sent a booking request message containing an external link asking for payment confirmation—a tactic commonly used in phishing scams—and Booking.com did not flag or remove this link. Additionally, a deliberately humorous review praising the experience of “hanging out” with the prime minister’s cat was published without being flagged by the platform’s moderation systems.
Which? Travel editor Rory Boland criticized Booking.com’s fraud prevention capabilities, characterizing the company’s artificial intelligence systems as “unfit for purpose.” He highlighted that if the platform cannot identify obviously fraudulent listings like a fake prime ministerial residence, it is unsurprising that actual scammers successfully exploit the service. Boland emphasized that consumers face significant financial risks, potentially losing thousands of pounds to bogus listings and phishing schemes.
Booking.com responded by stating that Which?’s listing was not fully “live” on its platform, which prevented some automatic fraud controls from activating. A company spokesperson noted that the firm employs multiple verification measures and AI technology to detect and remove the majority of fraudulent content within 24 hours. The company also referenced visible warnings encouraging users to avoid clicking untrusted links and stated it is strengthening defenses against increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics.
Which? called for stronger enforcement of the Online Safety Act to compel booking platforms to remove false listings more rapidly. Ofcom, the regulator responsible for enforcing these rules, acknowledged that platforms have existing legal obligations to swiftly remove illegal content once identified.
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