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c/technology · by beep@piefed.world · 22d

We created a fake holiday home listing on 10 Downing Street, were able to make a test payment and publish a fake 10/10 review through booking.com.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-we-listed-10-downing-street-as-a-holiday-home-on-booking.com-aTs2s9X7I9cm

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1375096/we-created-a-fake-listing-were-able-to-make-a-test-payment-and-publish-a-fake-10-10-revi

147 points · 7 comments · view on lemmy.world

7 Comments

jqubed@lemmy.world · 41 pts · 22d (2 replies)

It has also previously told us that it uses sophisticated AI systems to detect and combat fraud. So why did its AI not notice that the image on our listing was one of the world's most famous buildings and appears in thousands of photos across the web?

The “sophisticated AI” failed at its job? I’m shocked. Shocked! Well, not that shocked.

purplemonkeymad@programming.dev · 5 pts · 21d (1 reply)

If I didn't exist I would also fail at the job I had been given.

Reddfugee42@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 21d

Hell, I actually exist and I fail all the time.

At least, I think I exist

Zer0_F0x@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 22d (1 reply)

A colleague barely managed to charge back 1500€ in time after falling for such a scam not two weeks ago.

Booking has not kept up with its own popularity.

MouldyCat@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 22d

Was it Andy Burnham by any chance?

kokesh@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 22d (1 reply)

Fuck Booking.com. They're the worst partner for renting anything ever. They don't respond to messages, have problems with their payout system from time to time,.one summer we waited for about a month before they fixed it (of course didn't add any interest). I'm very happy that we joined the european class action against them. I really hope they will have to pay big.

vorpuni@tarte.nuage-libre.fr · 2 pts · 22d

They also scam the other side: I booked a rental car through them, the rental place wouldn't honor my reservation, they made me call dozens of times, hung up on me every time. Their booking system for car rentals is a scam, you get your money back eventually but you still have to pay 2× or 3× the price to get a car on the day because they don't care at all about honouring reservations.

I'd have had to sue them in the UK and if I had fuck you money or better legal insurance I would have.

Decided me to never give them any money again. I've kept to it, I hope they fail.

Car rental places are scummy enough without an even worse middleman. They can't pretend they can't honour reservations where I live: if they have anything better than what you booked they have to give it you at no extra charge (so if you booked an Aygo and they only have S-Klasse left, you get the S-Klasse).