An Ontario resident, Barry Goode, was swindled out of $7,700 after booking what appeared to be a luxurious villa in Costa Rica through Booking.com. The listing, which featured convincing reviews and high ratings, turned out to be fraudulent. Goode made the booking in January, prompted by the villa’s supposed high rating of 9.8 based on 61 reviews.
The transaction was conducted outside the Booking.com platform, with communications and payments routed through WhatsApp, a method suggested by the supposed villa owner. Shortly after transferring the funds, Goode realized the deception when he could no longer obtain valid information about the villa, and the listing images were changed following his complaints.
Initially offered a $500 compensation by Booking.com, Goode refused, leading to further investigation by CTV News Toronto. This prompted Booking.com to reassess the situation, ultimately resulting in a full refund of $7,735.86 to Goode. Booking.com emphasized the importance of keeping all communications and transactions within their platform to ensure safety and security, acknowledging the ongoing challenge of online fraud. They also stressed the necessity of verifying payment policies and recommended using credit cards for payments to enhance consumer protection.
