If you think scammers aren’t afraid to operate on certified platforms, think again.
An X user recently shared her ordeal of getting scammed by a so-called “villa owner” on Booking.com, only to find out that the place is actually non-existent.
Booking villa melalui https://t.co/1toZsGCiOj tapi villa ni tak wujud dekat alamat Putrajaya.
— Sheer (@ladsheer) March 24, 2024
Ini first time aku kena scam sepanjang hidup 3 dekad. pic.twitter.com/pFlRT4Wavv
Planning satu family nak sambut mak balik dari umrah dekat KLIA. 1 minggu awal dah survey villa, nak makan apa time buka puasa etc.
— Sheer (@ladsheer) March 24, 2024
Aku tahu villa ni baru masuk https://t.co/1toZsGBKYL tapi aku check juga dekat Facebook. Nampak macam boleh percaya, murah sebab baru kot. pic.twitter.com/iLQ50NfXWB
Villa Beverly Row, as advertised on the site, alleged that it’s located in Putrajaya and offers reasonable rates per night.
Aku rasa secure sebab buat payment melalui https://t.co/1toZsGBKYL. Lepastu owner villa contact minta deposit.
— Sheer (@ladsheer) March 24, 2024
Siap ayat proper, invoice dan panduan masuk villa. Tak rasa suspicious langsung masa ni. Aku terus bayar je deposit RM300. pic.twitter.com/cc9ZAYLzyu
Despite having zero reviews, the woman decided to give it a try, and paid a booking deposit of RM300 upon contact with the owner.
It’s believed that this wasn’t the first case as other commenters shared that they had dealt various issues on Booking.com previously.
Tengok invois/resit takda ssm no.
— HAS Shaqkiri Explain (@has_shaqkiri) March 24, 2024
Payment pun guna personal acc bukan current account.
Memang total red flag.
Next time,make sure 2 benda ni ada.
Check bila last review.
At least apa2 jadi mudah nak track.
Takpa. Jadikan pengarajan. Semoga dipermudahkan urusan hangpa sekeluarga.
tolonglahh booking ni memang suka scam tauu haritu ada book budget hotel, bila sampai tahu tahu takda pun hotelnya..
— アリス (@ellucilf3r) March 24, 2024
Pernah terkena on a slightly different occurrence. Booked hotel rooms in Islamabad, bila pergi dia kata dia tak pernah register dengan https://t.co/rCQQ7BrI8d. (Note that we booked several rooms for several hotels, 2 hotels beri jawapan sama).
— Ha Seok-jin (@kozaisedso) March 24, 2024
Never used the platform again.
