Booking scams are rising: how to spot a fake payment request

November 12, 2026, Portugal

Morning. It's Thursday, 12 November. Lisbon 20° · Porto 17° · Faro 23°, with the state of alert over and rain on and off across the mainland. Let's get into it.

📰 THE MAIN STORY

Complaints about Booking.com in Portugal have risen 22% this year, to almost 500, according to an analysis by Portal da Queixa, the consumer complaints platform, reported by The Portugal News. More than half are about money, such as disputed charges, payment problems and refunds that never arrived, and about 13% concern alleged fraud or security problems.

What it means for you: the trick to watch for is a message, often on WhatsApp, that looks like it comes from Booking or your hotel and asks you to confirm your card details or pay again to avoid a cancellation.

A common mistake: clicking the payment link in the message because it looks official and the details are right.

If you've already shared your details, contact Booking straight away, change your password, turn on two-factor authentication, call your bank to block the card and check for transactions you don't recognise. Property owners have also complained that their photos were copied into fake listings, and some travellers paid for places that were closed or didn't exist. The figures are complaints from users, not proven cases of fraud, but similar WhatsApp scams have been reported in other countries this year.

In short: Booking never asks for your card on WhatsApp, so if a message does, it's a scam.

⚡ IN BRIEF

The national state of alert ended at midnight and won't be extended, the interior minister, Luís Neves, said, after Storm Charles split into two centres and hit the mainland less hard than expected, reported by The Portugal News. The Algarve came off worst, with 120 incidents by 4pm yesterday, mostly fallen trees and flooding, and roads cut in Faro, Lagoa, Portimão and Loulé, but no injuries or displaced people reported there, according to Lusa.

ANA, the airport operator, counted 360 cancelled flights by 11am, 310 of them in Lisbon. Schools and public services are expected to reopen today, though rain continues as Bruna lingers.

If you had an appointment at AIMA, the immigration agency, yesterday, it has been rebooked, and the new date, time and place are sent by email, so there's no need to apply again. Some hospitals in Lisbon and the south also postponed appointments and are contacting patients.

For storm damage, take photos and videos before clearing up, keep invoices, and tell your insurer within the deadline in your policy, or within eight days if it gives none, according to the insurance regulator, ASF. Home insurance only covers storms if your policy includes it, and car insurance usually doesn't unless you have own-damage cover that includes weather.

Ryanair's chief executive, Eddie Wilson, said on Tuesday that the Azores regional government "broke the contract", and that the airline could come back if it had partners it could trust, reported by The Portugal News. Visit Azores, the regional tourism association, says that claim is untrue. Ryanair stopped flying to the islands at the end of March, leaving TAP and Azores Airlines as the only airlines between the Azores and the mainland.

Ponta Delgada's chamber of commerce puts the loss at €144 million to €166 million a year and wants a full explanation from the regional government. Arrivals in the Azores fell 8.2% in October on last year, the tenth monthly fall in a row, according to the regional statistics service, which gives no reason. For now, no new low-cost airline has been announced.

📍 WORTH THE TRIP

From above it's a star. On the ground, it's three rings of walls and ditches on a hill outside Elvas, with the Governor's House at the centre and Spain on the horizon. The Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça sits about 1 km from Elvas, which is about two hours from Lisbon by car on the A2 or the A6, and it's part of the town's UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2012.

Building began in 1763, under the Count of Lippe, the German commander King José brought in to reorganise the Portuguese army, and finished in 1792. It stands on the hill where Spanish troops built a stronghold to attack Elvas in 1658, during the war that followed Portugal's independence from Spain in 1640. Inside, you walk through the casemates, the vaulted bomb-proof rooms, the powder stores and the Governor's House. The fort fell into decline in the 20th century and reopened to visitors in 2015, after restoration. The catch: the hilltop is exposed, so dress for wind and rain at this time of year.

Before you go: it's open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm between October and April, with last entry half an hour before closing. A ticket costs €5, or €8 with a guided tour. After this week's storm, call the Elvas tourist office on +351 268 622 236 to check before you set off.

Local tip: on the way back, stop at the Aqueduto da Amoreira, 8.5 km of arches up to 31 metres high, built between 1537 and 1620.

Find it here: Google Maps

WORD OF THE DAY

Say it: BOOR-luh

Meaning: a scam, a fraud

“Cuidado, essa mensagem é uma burla.”
Careful, that message is a scam.

It's the word you'll see in Portuguese news about fake messages and online fraud, and someone who runs one is a burlão. In Brazil, people more often say golpe.

North

Porto

Centre

Lisbon

South

Islands

Até amanhã,

Gabriel - DailyPortugal