Phishing: Private individual, Italy 2026
Perpetrators had taken over the Booking.com account of a real accommodation in Rome, changed the address and photos and asked guests to enter payment details via a link.
- Incident · 2026 · Rome, Italy
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Phishing
- Account takeover
- Fraud
As of
What happened
A couple found only a seminar room at the address and other guests with the same booking; since the link did not work, they had not entered any card details. Booking.com blocked the accommodation, cancelled open bookings and covered additional costs.
- Affected
- Private individual (anonymous)
- Industry
- Private individual
- Loss
- no reliable figure
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- true
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- Phishing of the accommodation’s Booking.com account; followed by a payment link via the Booking.com messaging system
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
-
Paid, but nothing or the wrong thing delivered, fake shop
Mostly covered 24 of 29 private products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Misuse of card, Twint, e-banking
Strangers pay with your money
Mostly limited 25 of 29 private products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Loss of income because customers stay away after the incident
Mostly no information 1 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
Never enter payment details via links in booking messages, even if the message appears in the real app.
Sources
- Booking.com: Betrugsfall bei Hotelbuchung in Rom (opens in a new window) touristik aktuell · 2026-08-06
«Cyberkriminelle hätten sich Zugriff auf das Nutzerkonto verschafft.»