CoinGecko CEO Bobby Ong has warned of a fraudulent email impersonating Booking.com to promote a fake crypto summit in Dubai.
Booking.com acknowledged the fraud and said it was investigating the matter.
fake crypto summit invitation surface
Ong shared the phishing email on social media on October 27, 2025. The email teased an “Exclusive Crypto Travel Summit” scheduled for November 2025 in Dubai. Falsely stated that Booking.com and Coinbase had entered into a strategic partnership to launch a virtual currency travel service.
PSA: There is a new phishing attempt using the @bookingcom system to send fake meeting invitations. If you receive such emails, it is best to delete them. @bookingcom please note this matter and escalate it to our security team to prevent such actors from abusing our systems pic.twitter.com/ZGfGe2OffQ
— Bobby Ong (@bobbyong) October 27, 2025
The fraudulent invitation listed Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong as keynote speakers. The email included an attendance deadline of September 30, 2025. This deadline has now passed, revealing the sloppy nature of the scam.
Mr Ong advised recipients to delete such emails immediately. He urged Booking.com to escalate the issue to its security team. Booking.com responded through its official account, acknowledging the fraudulent email and requesting details for investigation.
Booking.com addresses impersonation tactics
Booking.com said in its response that it does not communicate via messaging apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp. The company emphasized that it does not recruit or provide customer support through these channels. Users are encouraged to report and block suspicious contacts that are not affiliated with the company.
Booking.com advised users not to provide personal information, make payments or click on links in suspicious messages. The company suggested reporting such incidents to local authorities. For legitimate reservation issues, users should contact Booking.com customer service directly with their confirmation number and reservation details.
Hello. I am sorry that you encountered this situation.
Unfortunately, some people have fraudulently used the https://t.co/0WK3GNLnVf name to impersonate us and take advantage of our guests and potential employees. Thank you for your understanding… https://t.co/Z89AAoEgD7— Booking.com (@bookingcom) October 27, 2025
Wider patterns of crypto fraud
Booking.com impersonators follow a similar fraud pattern targeting crypto users. September 2025, Binance warned About fake listing agents who claim to guarantee listings on the platform for a fee. Binance CEO Richard Teng also detailed a phone scam in which an imposter pretended to be a customer support agent.
These scammers tricked users into changing API settings that enabled them to steal funds. The cryptocurrency community expressed frustration over increasingly sophisticated scams. One user pointed out that scams continue to grow in complexity and evolve.
Ong emphasized that due to the adversarial nature of cryptocurrencies, users must carefully verify all communications. Security experts recommend checking the sender’s domain and avoiding suspicious links. If a request appears unusual, users should contact the platform directly through official channels.
The post Booking.com impersonation scam targets crypto users appeared first on BeInCrypto.
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