Scam hotel booking sent family to Wetherspoon pub
Summary
A family booked a fake luxury London apartment through Booking.com, only to find the address was actually a Wetherspoon pub. Scammers hijacked real property listings to trick tourists, causing many to be turned away or lose money.Key Facts
- Paul Dawson booked a £73 stay at "The London Crown apartments" for a West End theatre visit.
- The listed address was actually The Liberty Bounds, a Wetherspoon pub near Tower Bridge.
- Up to 20 tourists a day have been turned away by Wetherspoon staff due to fake bookings.
- Scammers also used the address of Portcullis House, part of the UK Parliament estate, for fake listings.
- Booking.com said criminals used a "phishing attack" to hijack legitimate property listings.
- Dawson received a fake Booking.com email asking for bank details after booking.
- Booking.com told Dawson he had to go to the fake property before they would help find a real place.
- The fake listing had many negative reviews but stayed live until Booking.com blocked bookings.
- Wetherspoon reported the scam to Booking.com and urged permanent removal of the fraudulent listings.
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