We recently received a report regarding average-hotel-rating.com, a fraudulent website that has been involved in defrauding individuals through fake hotel advertisements. The victim in this case lost approximately 1.67043 ETH, equivalent to around $4,380 USD, which was sent to the receiving address 0xb7f478509f1adffa27681ea87095730ddbee4a97. The scam involved deceptive claims about exclusive hotel deals, using convincing ads that lured individuals to make direct payments under the guise of booking accommodations at attractive rates.

This type of scam preys on individuals seeking travel accommodations, using persuasive language and appealing offers to induce a sense of urgency. Once the payment is made, however, there is no hotel reservation, and communication with the website ceases, leaving the individual without recourse for recovery. The receiving address involved in this transaction was used to siphon off the funds without providing any legitimate service in return.

The request for payment in cryptocurrency is a significant red flag, as it enables scammers to easily escape without a trace, leveraging the irreversible nature of blockchain transactions. This scam’s design was clearly aimed at making it difficult for victims to recover funds or pursue any form of accountability.

We strongly advise anyone looking to book hotels online to exercise caution when dealing with platforms that request direct cryptocurrency payments, especially when there are no established customer reviews or transparent contact information available. Reputable travel and hotel services do not require cryptocurrency payments, and the lack of accountability from platforms like average-hotel-rating.com points conclusively to fraudulent intent. To protect yourself, always use trusted booking platforms and be wary of offers that seem too good to be true. If you have already been affected by this scam, gather all transaction details and report them to appropriate authorities to help mitigate the spread of similar fraudulent schemes.