Booking.com Data Leak

I am raising a serious complaint directly against Booking.com regarding a suspected data leak of my booking details, which has resulted in financial loss and a complete inability to reach you to report it properly. I had originally made a reservation via Booking.com for the Royal Esplanade Hotel in Ryde, Isle of Wight, for 18–20 September 2026. I then cancelled this Booking.com reservation on 2 April 2026 and made a new booking directly with the hotel. Shortly before the stay, on 31 August 2026, I received a WhatsApp message that appeared to be from the hotel or its head office, referring to my accommodation and asking me to complete a link to confirm the reservation. Because the message clearly related to my booking details, I believed it to be genuine. After following this process, I ended up paying £197 by card to an unknown third party. My bank in the UK is now raising a complaint and investigating the transaction. However, I am extremely concerned that I am unable to properly report this apparent data leak to Booking.com, even though the information used by the fraudster clearly seems to be linked to my original Booking.com reservation. At present, I feel that Booking.com is not taking responsibility or providing a clear channel to report and investigate such a serious issue involving customer data and financial loss. I request that Booking.com urgently investigates how my original booking details could have been obtained and used in this way, explains whether there has been any data breach involving my personal or reservation information, and provides a clear written explanation of the findings. In addition, I expect Booking.com to support the recovery of the £197 lost in this incident and to offer appropriate compensation and assurances that measures are being taken to prevent this from happening to other customers. I am asking for a prompt, written response and a thorough investigation into this incident.