The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Booking.com under the Digital Services Act, saying the platform is not doing enough to stop fraud, scams and fake listings as reported fraud rises sharply. Brussels is also examining whether paid boosted listings are clearly labelled as advertising. Officials called the company's anti-fraud performance “absolutely substandard” and suspect it has not properly assessed risks from fraudulent and unlicensed offers. Dutch consumer data recorded 1,072 fraud notifications linked to Booking.com in the first part of 2026, with estimated losses of about €82,000 and a tenfold increase over 2025. Because Booking.com is headquartered in the Netherlands, the Commission is working with Dutch regulators and will move quickly with an in-depth priority investigation.
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