ALERT: Irish people hit with holiday booking warning after sinister contact made

Irish holidaymakers are being warned over a sinister scam doing the rounds after people received fake security alerts in their emails.

The fake emails purport to be from Booking.com, a popular holiday booking website, but they are actually from fraudulant email addresses.

The emails ask customers to 'verify' their Booking.com account to retain access. It looks for users to click a link and enter personal details.

The email reads: "We have detected an important security update related to your Booking.com account. To ensure the continued safety of your personal information and prevent unauthorized access, we require you to verify your account details.

"Please click the link below to confirm your identity and secure your account:

"This verification process is quick and should take less than a minute. If you do not complete it within the next 24 hours, certain features of your account may be temporarily restricted as a security precaution.

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"To maintain full access and keep your account protected, please complete the verification now by clicking the link above.

"Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter."

The email was sent from an unofficial email address unattached to the genuine Booking.com company. People should ignore such communication from fraudulent sources.