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The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Booking.com over concerns that the travel platform failed to adequately tackle fake accommodation listings and phishing scams, while potentially breaching European Union rules on advertising transparency.
Announced Wednesday, the investigation will examine whether the company properly assessed the risks posed by fraudulent listings and took effective steps to limit them, as required under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
Regulators will also scrutinize whether accommodation providers can pay for higher positions in search results without those listings being clearly identified as advertisements.
"Europeans should be able to book their holidays without fear of being scammed," Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a statement.
The investigation does not establish any wrongdoing by Booking.com but will assess whether the platform complies with EU digital rules.
Regulators will examine fake accommodation listings, phishing scams involving booking and guest data, and paid search results that are not clearly labeled as advertisements.
They will assess whether Booking.com properly addresses the risks of fraudulent properties, protects reservation data from misuse and makes sponsored listings easy to identify.
Booking.com is one of the world’s largest online travel platforms and a key brand within U.S.-listed Booking Holdings, which also owns Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK and OpenTable.
As of Dec. 31, 2025, the platform listed approximately 4.4 million properties, including about 3.9 million alternative accommodations, such as homes and apartments, and roughly 500,000 hotels, motels and resorts, according to the parent company’s annual report.
Booking Holdings generated $26.9 billion in revenue in 2025, while its brands collectively recorded 1.235 billion room nights, up 8% from 2024.
Depending on its findings, the European Commission could impose interim measures, issue a decision finding the company in breach of the rules or accept commitments to address its concerns.
Under the Digital Services Act, violations can carry fines of up to 6% of a company’s worldwide annual turnover. The investigation’s launch does not prejudge its outcome.
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