Spanish police arrest hacker who booked luxury hotels for only 1 cent

The Spanish police arrested a man aged 20 for using a sophisticated scam to book hotel rooms in luxury hotels at just a cent a night. The first such case involving manipulation was the online payment system used for hotel bookings. Although no one denies that this may have been done before, it went unnoticed.

The suspect, a Spanish national, allegedly defrauded at least one luxury hotel in Madrid of more than €20,000 through multiple stays. He was detained on February 18, while occupying a four-night reservation at a high-end Madrid hotel, normally valued at €4,000.

How the hotel hacking scam worked

You can also find out more about the following: 20-year-old reportedly hacked into a hotel booking website By targeting its payment validity system. In a cyberattack he changed the electronic payment platform to make transactions appear fully authorised at reception, despite the fact that only a small amount of one cent was charged.

Rooms typically costing up to €1,000 per night were secured under this method. The hotel and the booking platform initially believed that the bookings were legitimate. The fraud only became apparent days later, when the payment processor transferred the actual paid amount (€0.01) to the hotel company, revealing the discrepancy.

Spain’s National Police According to the authorities, the attack was specifically designed to “alter the payment validity system.” This was the first instance that they had seen this specific technique used in a criminal case.

Arrests and fraud details

The investigation began quickly after an online booking site flagged suspicious activities in early February. Police arrested the suspect within four day at the luxury Madrid hotel where he was staying, using his reservation information.

The man allegedly consumed items from the minibar and did not pay other bills during his stays. This increased the hotel’s loss. The reports indicate that he may be responsible for targeting multiple hotels. However the specifics of these additional properties are still limited. A previous arrest was made in the Canary Islands for a similar luxury stay.

Why is cybercrime a surprise to everyone?

This case highlights the vulnerabilities that are emerging in the online payment and booking systems used by the hospitality industry. The suspect exploited the validation process to bypass standard security checks which confirm full payment prior to confirming reservations.

Authorities emphasized the innovation of the method and the need for improved cybersecurity measures on travel booking platforms in order to prevent future frauds. The suspect faces charges relating to hacking and fraud, as well as other possible offences related to unpaid services.