Tourists were misled by a fake Wetherspoons pub listing on the online booking platform Booking.com, which was incorrectly described as a "block of luxury apartments." The Liberty Bounds pub near Tower Bridge reportedly turned away up to 20 tourists daily after the scam. Consumer group Which? raised concerns about vulnerabilities in Booking.com's system after creating a fake listing for 10 Downing Street earlier this month, highlighting the platform's potential for being exploited by fraudsters. Paul Dawson, a 55-year-old from Loughborough, booked a £73 one-night family stay through Booking.com at a property called The London Crown apartments for a trip to the West End. Two days later, he received a message with a link to a fake Booking.com site asking for his bank details. When he raised concerns, explaining that the address was actually a Wetherspoons pub, the platform insisted he visit the location and wait until after 7pm before any relocation assistance could be provided. Dawson, who has autistic children, said the idea of arriving at a non-existent property at 10:30pm would have been a disaster. The platform’s response did not change, suggesting he could contact them again if check-in was not possible. The London Crown listing remained active on September 23 with over 250 negative reviews from August and September, alongside a few suspicious positive ratings. Many reviews stated that customers had alerted Booking.com to the scam without success. One customer reported that they had warned the platform three days before check-in but were refused help. Another customer from Spain wrote that she and her friend were stranded, stating: "Two girls alone in London at two o'clock in the morning with no accommodation." Which? also tested Booking.com’s AI trip planner, Dot, by asking on the listing page: "Is this a real property, or is it a scam?" Dot responded that The London Crown was a legitimate property in central London, offering amenities like free WiFi and parking. However, Dot failed to notice that Longleat Safari Park, mentioned in the response, is more than 100 miles from London. Which? also found a listing titled "Apartments near Big Ben" using the address of Portcullis House, a government building housing many MPs. Booking.com stated both cases involved legitimate properties hijacked by cybercriminals through a phishing attack. Which? Travel editor Rory Boland criticized Booking.com for not taking scams seriously and requiring guests to visit properties even when told they didn’t exist, calling this approach "utterly reckless." He said the platform’s actions were "frightening, humiliating, and risks people’s safety," and urged Ofcom to enforce stricter regulations on irresponsible online platforms. Booking.com responded that its investigation showed both properties were legitimate and had hosted guests, but were targeted by a phishing attack that gave cybercriminals temporary access to their accounts. The company said it suspended bookings and supported affected customers. An Ofcom spokesman emphasized that platforms have legal duties to remove illegal content once they are aware of it and confirmed that investigations into over 100 sites were already underway.