A consumer group, Which?, successfully created a fake listing for 10 Downing Street on Booking.com, allowing them to book a stay and leave a humorous review. Despite clear indicators that the listing was fraudulent, it remained active for two months before being removed, raising concerns about the platform's fraud detection capabilities.
Booking.com defended its practices, stating that the listing was not visible to the public for most of its duration and that their AI systems typically identify fraudulent listings quickly. However, Which? criticized the effectiveness of these measures, highlighting the risks posed to consumers by such vulnerabilities.