ESET warns of the proliferation of new fraud schemes on popular accommodation booking platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb. According to ESET’s telemetry, booking fraud started to gain momentum in 2024. The number of accommodation-related fraud cases spiked in July, with detections more than doubling.
How the scam works
The fraudsters send an email to the victim of one of the above platforms, claiming a problem with the payment for the reservation. The email contains a link to a fake website disguised as a legitimate one.
The page contains pre-filled booking information, such as check-in and check-out dates, price, and location, and the information provided on the fraudulent pages matches the users’ real bookings.
“The fraudsters are using compromised hotel and vacation rental accounts on the platforms, which they likely obtained by purchasing stolen credentials on cybercrime forums. Using access to these accounts, fraudsters target users who have recently booked a stay and have not yet paid or have paid recently,” explains Radek Jizba, ESET researcher.
According to him, this approach makes it much more difficult to detect fraud, as the information provided is personal to the victims and the websites look like legitimate platforms. The only visible signs of fraud are the addresses of malicious websites that differ from genuine safe resources.
Using Telekopye
This scheme uses the Telekopye toolkit, which works as a Telegram bot to turn online fraud into an illegal organized business. It is used by dozens of fraud groups with up to several thousand members to steal millions of euros from their victims. The fraudsters don’t need any technical knowledge because Telekopye does everything in seconds.
The growing popularity of online shopping platforms attracts fraudsters who prey on buyers and sellers, seeking to obtain bank card information. The rise in booking fraud coincides with the summer vacation season.
According to data from 2024, these new types of fraud accounted for about half of the detected malicious variants disguised as marketplaces. The new types of fraud are mainly focused on just two platforms – Booking.com and Airbnb.
What to do.
“Before filling out any forms related to your booking, always make sure you have not closed the official website or app of the platform in question. Being redirected to an external URL to continue booking and paying may be a sign of fraud,” the ESET researcher advises.
In late 2023, after ESET researchers reported on Telekopye, Czech and Ukrainian police arrested dozens of cybercriminals using Telekopye, including key players, in two joint operations. Both operations targeted Telekopye groups, which, according to police estimates, have amassed at least €5 million since 2021.
To protect against such fraudulent schemes, ESET experts recommend being careful when filling out online forms, checking the website address before entering personal data, and using a reliable solution to protect all devices from various threats, including dangerous websites that are fraudulent tools.
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