I am dealing with a situation where I lost $3,720 due to a fraudulent rental listing on Booking.com and I am stuck between the platform and my bank with no resolution.
I booked a property titled “Jackson Luxury Townhome with Mountain Views” through Booking.com. In December, my card was charged $3,720 by a merchant named “Golden Days.” Shortly after, I received a cancellation notice, but the supposed property manager told me it was just a system error and that the booking was still valid.
By February, the contact email stopped working, the merchant disappeared, and it became clear the listing was completely fake. No such property exists.
When I tried to recover the funds, Booking.com told me to take it up with my bank. Meanwhile, Citibank has denied my chargeback claims twice already, seemingly without a meaningful review of the evidence. They appear to auto deny once they see “Booking.com” and “authorized transaction.”
I am now on my third attempt and still stuck with no refund and no clear accountability from either side.
What I am trying to figure out:
Has anyone successfully held Booking.com responsible for a fraudulent listing like this?
Are public complaints such as social media or regulatory filings effective in getting Booking.com to act?
For Citibank disputes, is escalating to a consumer protection agency such as CFPB the only realistic path left?
At this point, I have a full paper trail, including cancellation emails and bounced communications, but no resolution from either side.
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