By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 05/08/2026Here's how the scam worked: these companies put up websites with deceptive URLs, like *SanFranciscoMarriott.GuestReservations.com*, and then bought the associated Google ad-word ("San Francisco Marriott"). 48/ 1373
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 05/08/2026At the top of Google searches for "San Francisco Marriott booking" was the ad for SanFranciscoMarriott.GuestReservations.com. This site would sell you a room at the Marriott, at a markup of *35% to 85%*. 49/sanfranciscomarriott.guestreservations.comGuest ReservationsAs an independent booking service offering over 100,000 hotels worldwide, we can get you the same deals you expect with a bigger travel agency or direct from the hotel. 1371
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 05/08/2026This is a pure ripoff. If Google had served the correct result at the top of the page - if it had used its own database of confirmed merchants and their associate websites to validate its ads - then people booking hotels would have saved 35% to 85% on their rooms. 50/ 16611
