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Targeted holiday phishing on a new scale

Hospitalityinside • June 19, 2026

Phishing campaigns are on the rise, particularly around the peak travel season. WhatsApp is becoming a new attack vector, and cybercriminals – who exploit data leaks at Booking, for example – can use reservation data for even longer once they have obtained it.

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

WhatsApp Hotel Scams Target Travelers with Phishing Attacks A phishing campaign targeting travelers through WhatsApp has been identified, leveraging real booking information to impersonate hotels and resorts. Researchers at Bitdefender Labs have tracked this operation since March 2026, noting its evolution and localization across multiple countries, including the UK, Germany, and Canada. The attackers use convincing hotel branding and personalized messages to deceive victims into providing payment card details. The campaign has affected travelers in over 10 countries, with at least six active phishing campaigns identified. This operation highlights the increasing value of reservation data to cybercriminals, who exploit data leaks from booking platforms. The ongoing nature of this campaign poses a significant threat to travelers, especially during peak travel seasons. No evidence suggests that the impersonated hotel brands were compromised, indicating a focus on brand impersonation rather than direct attacks on the hotels themselves. 2 sources 67

Targeted holiday phishing on a new scale

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Extracted Entities

Attack Types (1)

Companies (1)

MITRE ATT&CK (1)

Platforms (1)