Booking.com AI bot backed scam villa costing groom £1,500

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 11:58 · Archive

Booking.com's AI assistant told a man to pay £1,500 by bank transfer for a fake Amalfi Coast villa that did not exist.

Alfie Learmouth, a 27-year-old sales project manager from Bexley, booked a five-day romantic trip to Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast through Booking.com. He planned to propose to his girlfriend Jordan Bland, whom he had been with for nine years.

Before departing on 3 September, Mr Learmouth received a message purportedly from the villa host demanding full payment in advance via direct bank transfer. Concerned about fraud, he contacted Booking.com's AI Trip Support chat tool, named Dot, to verify whether the payment method was genuine.

The automated agent, which introduced itself as 'still learning', advised him that 'yes, the property requires full payment via bank transfer before your arrival'. Reassured by what appeared to be official support, Mr Learmouth transferred the £1,500 balance.

On the morning of their flight, he received a message claiming a burst pipe had flooded the villa and cancelled the stay. When the couple travelled to Positano and attempted to locate the property, they discovered it did not exist.

Mr Learmouth said the experience was 'absolutely horrendous and one of the most stressful things you could ever go through'. He added that the villa had appeared legitimate on Booking.com, with verified reviews, before the cancellation email arrived an hour before they were due to leave for the airport. Booking.com has since apologised for the incident.

How it is being reported

• Booking.com AI bot told groom-to-be to transfer £1,500 for scam villaA groom-to-be lost £1,500 after Booking.com's AI assistant Dot told him to pay by bank transfer for a fake Amalfi Coast villa that did not exist.Croydon Guardian · 21 Oct, 11:47
• Booking.com AI bot told groom-to-be to transfer £1,500 for scam villaA groom-to-be lost £1,500 after Booking.com's AI assistant Dot told him to pay by bank transfer for a fake Amalfi Coast villa that did not exist.News Shopper · 21 Oct, 11:47
• Booking.com AI bot told groom-to-be to transfer £1,500 for scam villaA groom-to-be lost £1,500 after Booking.com's AI assistant Dot told him to pay by bank transfer for a fake Amalfi Coast villa that did not exist.This Is Local London · 21 Oct, 11:47
• Booking.com AI bot told groom-to-be to transfer £1,500 for scam villaA groom-to-be lost £1,500 after Booking.com's AI assistant Dot told him to pay by bank transfer for a fake Amalfi Coast villa that did not exist.Wandsworth Guardian · 21 Oct, 11:47

In this story: Alfie Learmouth · Jordan Bland · Booking.com · Positano · Amalfi Coast · Bexley

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