Aussie customers caught up in Booking.com data breach as personal information compromised

Travel giant Booking.com has issued a warning to Aussie customers after it suffered a major data breach – with the personal information of customers using the platform likely accessed by “unauthorised third parties”.

In an email to customers, the online travel booking website with more than 28 million listings worldwide said suspicious activity on a number of reservations had been noticed.

The site claimed it took immediate action to contain the issue.

An investigation by the Dutch-based company revealed names, email addresses, phone numbers and other details shared with accommodation providers may have been accessed in a data breach.

The company sent an email to customers overnight – including Australian customers – with new reservation and PIN numbers advising people to be aware of malicious actors pretending to be from their accommodation provider or Booking.com.

“The security of your personal information is our utmost priority,” the letter said.

“We will continue to enhance and extend the robust security measures we have in place to secure your reservations with us.”

Customers were advised to take extra precautions to keep their devices safe from phishing attempts.

It is not known how many customers have been impacted or if credit card or bank information have been compromised in the breach.

The company has been contacted for comment.

Booking.com is one of the world’s most used online travel booking sites that operates across 16o countries.

Techzine reported the company has been hit by multiple cyber attacks resulting in data breaches, including a phishing scam that stole login credentials from hotel workers in the UAE.

It said phishing attacks targeting travellers had surged by 900 per cent in 2024.

According to ScamWatch, more than 65,600 Australians lost $31m to phishing scams last year.