Fake booking sites and look-alike domains
Scammers copy your website, put it on an address that's almost the same, and collect transfers from guests who think they're booking with you.
Website clone detected
- Real site
- villa-sunset-bali.com
- Clone
- villa-sunset-ba1i.comNeeds checking
- Similarity
- Same photos, logo and rates
- Payment
- Asks for transfer to a personal accountNeeds checking
Illustration. Names, domains and data shown here are fictitious.
A copy of your site, with someone else's bank account
A fake booking site is a copy of your website made by someone else. Room photos, logo, rates, even reviews are copied. The only differences are the web address, often just one character off, and the bank account for payment.
Guests usually find it through a search ad or a link on social media. They only realise they've been scammed when they arrive at your property and their name isn't on the reservation list.
What it means for your business
Guests lose money
The deposit goes to the scammer. The guest travels all the way, with no booking.
Your name takes the hit
Bad reviews and complaints in traveller groups point at your property, not at the scammer.
Staff stuck explaining
Front office has to calm an angry guest over something that isn't your fault, often when you're full.
Warning signs to look out for
Share this list with your front office, reservations and finance staff. When in doubt, ask first.
- Guests mention rates or promos you never published.
- A guest arrives with proof of payment, but their name isn't in the PMS or reservation list.
- Guests ask about a bank account that isn't yours.
- Ads with your property's name show up in search results, though you aren't advertising.
- A new domain looks like your name, e.g. the letter l swapped for the number 1, or -booking or -official added.
- Your property photos appear on another site without permission.
How SiberWisata helps
Brand Protection looks for sites and domains that imitate your property's name, then follows them up.
Brand Protection
We watch for new domains that look like your name and sites that copy your content. When one is confirmed as a clone, we gather evidence, file takedown requests with the host, registrar and ad platforms, and keep following up. The decision to take a site down stays with them.
See this service →Monitoring is continuous. Analyst hours and response times are agreed per plan and written into the contract.
Look-alike domain now live
villa-sunset-ba1i.com is copying your booking page. Evidence has been collected.
Illustration. Names, domains and data shown here are fictitious.
How it works
We record the original
Your property name, domain, logo and key photos are recorded as the reference.
We look for copies
New domains, sites and ads that look similar are checked continuously against that reference.
We follow up
Real findings are reported to you, then we file takedown requests and see them through.
Related threats
All threats →Domain & DNS
Expired or hijacked domains, changed DNS, and others sending email in your name.
Read more →Social media takeover
Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp Business taken over or copied to run fake promos.
Read more →Payment fraud
Fake “our bank account has changed” messages that divert payments from guests, agents or suppliers.
Read more →
Not sure your organisation is safe?
Tell us about your organisation. We look at your situation from the outside and explain what we find in plain language, without obligation.