Fraudster hacked hotel system, paid 1 cent for luxury rooms, Spanish cops say

Spanish police arrested a hacker who allegedly manipulated a hotel booking website, allowing him to pay one cent for luxury hotel stays. He also raided the mini-bars and didn't settle some of those tabs, police say.

"This cyberattack was specifically designed to alter the payment validation system, and this is the first time we have detected a crime using this method," Spain's National Police told media outlets.

The man, a 20-year-old Spanish national, was arrested while staying at a Madrid hotel with a four-night reservation that carried a €4,000 ($4,716) price tag – unless you hacked the payment system, as this fraudster did. 

According to the cops, he stayed at this hotel several times, costing the business more than €20,000 ($23,608) in losses.

Police began investigating the suspect earlier this month after an unnamed online booking website reported suspicious activity. The transactions appeared normal, indicating ...