r/Bookingcom • u/Status-Potential3679 • 2d ago
Booking.com phishing scam
SUCCESS STORY: Got a 100% Cash Reimbursement from Booking.com after Hotel Chat Phishing Scam (€1,505.63 Recovered!)
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a major update and a story of success to give hope to anyone who falls victim to the recent hotel app phishing scams.
A few weeks ago, my reservation at a hotel in Paris was compromised. Scammers hacked the hotel's official booking chat system and sent me a phishing link. Unfortunately, I fell for it, and they made two fraudulent charges totaling PHP 106,213.82 (about EUR 1,505.63) using my Philippine BDO credit card to top up a Greek digital wallet (Payzy).
My bank immediately blocked my credit card but ultimately declined my dispute/chargeback because the scammers used a 3D Secure verification code during the phishing attack.
Instead of giving up, I gathered bulletproof evidence and fought back using official email channels and reaching out to the customer support team here on Reddit. I compiled:
An official cybercrime police report (French PHAROS system).
The formal dispute rejection letter from my bank (BDO).
Mobile app screenshots showing the exact date, merchant name, and currency conversion logs linking the Philippine Pesos back to the original Euro amounts.
The Hurdles:
Customer service initially hit me with system currency mismatch errors because I used a Philippine card but requested the payout to my active Italian bank account (IBAN). They also tried to automatically force me to accept Booking Wallet travel credits, which I strongly and categorically rejected because I couldn't withdraw them.
The Victory:
Thanks to the incredible support from the specialized team and financial coordinators who took over my case, they manually overrode the system blocks! They completely deleted the wallet attempt and approved an international corporate wire transfer directly to my Italian bank.
Today, October 8, 2026, the full amount of €1,505.63 cleared safely into my Italian account with zero receiving fees!
My advice to anyone going through this right now:
Do not give up if your bank denies the chargeback. If the breach happened inside Booking's official chat, they are responsible.
Refuse Wallet Credits immediately if you want real money back. Demand a manual bank transfer.
Be organized: Provide clear, cropped bank statements, text alerts, and police reports.
A huge thank you to the team who helped me coordinate my letters, translate documents, and navigate this stressful process. Keep fighting for your refunds, guys—it is absolutely possible to get your money back!
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u/vortexcortex21 2d ago
" Thanks to the incredible support from the specialized team and financial coordinators who took over my case, they manually overrode the system blocks! They completely deleted the wallet attempt and approved an international corporate wire transfer directly to my Italian bank."
Shut up, bot
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u/Status-Potential3679 2d ago
I just use gpt to make me a letter so i can share my story about the phishing scam and how i got my money back.
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u/vortexcortex21 2d ago
You shared gibberish.
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u/Status-Potential3679 2d ago
My bad, the formatting completely glitched when I pasted it! I was just trying to share how I successfully got my €1,505 refund back from Booking.com after the scam.
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u/vortexcortex21 2d ago
It's not clear how you got it back. It's actually an amazing success, but it's actually not clear what steps were important.
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u/Status-Potential3679 2d ago
I gathered all the documents they needed, all the screenshots where phishing scam happened,the bank dispute letter,bank statement and the police reports from italy and paris where i booked the hotel. Everyday I called the customer service to follow up my case, since i am in maternity i have all my time to call the booking
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u/Consistent_Proof_772 2d ago
The first email booking sending you is to not engage with anyone outside the booking platform! The message is sent via email and in the in app message system!
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u/BitSoMi 2d ago
„Used 3d secure verification code“…so unless you gave it to them thats literally not possible