Police said on 9 October 2026 that at least 148 cases of a hotel booking scam have been reported in Singapore since January, with losses of at least $185,000. Scammers pose as hotels or hotel booking platforms, mostly on WhatsApp and sometimes by email. Some messages contain real booking details. The Straits Times reported these can include your travel dates and destination. What they want is your bank card details. Victims usually find out only when unauthorised charges appear on their card, or when they check with the hotel.
The Singapore Police Force advisory sets out the steps.
A Singaporean man described one in an Instagram post on 12 September, The Straits Times reported. He had booked a trip through Booking.com. A WhatsApp message told him his reservation needed "one final action" because the payment system had not received a final confirmation.
The link led to a site that showed his actual reservation, with the date and location of his stay. At the bottom of the page, it asked for his payment details. He did not enter them and posted a warning instead. The post has had more than a million views.
These come from the police advisory and from a Booking.com statement to The Straits Times on 18 September.
Police advise checking with the hotel through the official contact details on its website. Booking.com said to check payment requests in its app, with the hotel, or with its 24-hour customer service team.
You can also check a suspicious message on the ScamShield app or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799, any time of day.
Police ask you to add the ScamShield app and, for your banks and e-wallets, to set transaction limits for internet banking, turn on two-factor or multi-factor authentication, and use your bank's Money Lock feature.
Call your bank first. Police and Booking.com both said to report fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately. If you booked through Booking.com, it said you should also contact its customer service team.
Then file a police report through one of the channels ScamShield lists. Police also ask you to tell your family and friends about scams like this one.
| Step | Who | How |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your bank | Call its anti-scam hotline so it can act to prevent further loss |
| 2 | Police | File a report online, at a Neighbourhood Police Centre or Post, or on the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000. Call 999 for urgent help. |
| Any time | ScamShield Helpline | Call 1799, 24 hours a day, to check a suspicious message |
| If you booked there | Booking.com | Contact its customer service team, which runs 24 hours a day |
We also cover travel credit cards for booking flights and hotels, credit cards with complimentary travel insurance and multi-currency cards in separate guides. These are our own guides, not part of the police advice.
Police said on 9 October 2026 that at least 148 cases had been reported since January 2026, with losses of at least $185,000.
No. A Booking.com spokesperson said on 18 September that it never asks customers for credit card details by text, WhatsApp, email or phone call, and never asks for a bank transfer that differs from the payment policy in the booking confirmation.
The Straits Times reported that unauthorised parties may have accessed names, booking details, email addresses and phone numbers linked to some reservations. Booking.com said financial information and physical addresses were not accessed through its system, and it sent updated PINs for affected reservations.
Call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799, which runs 24 hours a day, or contact the hotel through the official contact details on its own website.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.
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