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Chatting with a host in a messenger is normal. Moving the money there is not. What an off-platform payment quietly removes — the payment protection, the written record, the right to report — and what to do if the transfer has already gone.

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.