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Booking.com refunds customers caught in phishing scam
Booking.com has had to compensate customers who handed over money to criminals after being sent demands for prepayment.
The Netherlands-based online travel agent has admitted customers have been targeted by fraudsters in a phishing scam.
It confirmed it had refunded those who lost money, but refused to reveal the total amount.
A Booking.com spokesman said: "While it is something related to a phishing attack that happened in the summer we have taken our time to work with all parties involved, most importantly our customers to make sure the impact on them is as minimal as possible.
"We indeed have taken the financial burden of this though we have not and will not disclose(d) the total amount of refunding to our customers.
"We also said this was not a data breach and that phishing is an industry wide phenomenon that we now have been confronted with like other e-commerce companies in the past.
"We, of course, immediately stepped up our security measures and will continue to counter these criminal activities and to make sure booking accommodations via Booking.com is safe."
Jane, a customer from from Niagara Falls said: "It looked very authentic. I fell for it. We paid approximately 1,500 Canadian dollars."
Peter Kornelisse, chief security officer at Booking.com, said it estimated around 10,000 people had been affected.
He said: "We are protecting our customers, hotels and Booking.com continuously. We have a battle against organised crime. We’ve made technical improvements in several areas. "
It said its dedicated security teams were also working to contact and support accommodation partners who may have been affected by this situation.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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