Booking.com AI bot endorsed fake villa scam costing £1,500
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 12:33 · Archive
Booking.com's AI assistant told a man to pay by bank transfer for a non-existent Italian villa, costing him £1,500.
Alfie Learmouth, 27, booked a five-day trip to Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast to propose to his girlfriend of nine years, Jordan Bland. Before departing on 3 September, he received a message from the property claiming to demand full payment in advance by bank transfer, rather than through Booking.com's usual system.
Concerned about potential fraud, Mr Learmouth consulted Booking.com's AI Trip Support chat tool, named Dot. The automated agent, which described 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, he 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 tried to locate the property, they discovered it did not exist. Mr Learmouth, from Bexley in south-east London, described the experience as 'absolutely horrendous and one of the most stressful things you could ever go through'.
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.Oxford Mail · 22 Oct, 11:55
- 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.Oxfordshire Guardian · 22 Oct, 11:55
In this story: Alfie Learmouth · Jordan Bland · Booking.com · Positano · Amalfi Coast
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