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No check-in instructions, no answer to your messages, and a flight in the morning. What to record, how long to wait, when to book a replacement — and how to avoid paying for two beds and sleeping in one. Silence before you travel and silence on the doorstep are two different problems.

Lookalike sites and phone 'reservation desks' copy a hotel or Booking.com to take your money. Here is how to tell a genuine listing from a copy, and where to report a fake one.

A real payment never moves through a chat message or an emailed link to an outside site. How to recognise the fake 'verify your card' message that lands right after a booking — and the fast first-aid steps if you already clicked or paid.