Madrid (AFP) - The Spanish National Police announced on Wednesday the arrest of a young man who manipulated the online payment system to stay in luxury hotels for one cent a night instead of 1,000 euros.

First modification: 02/18/2026 - 14:53

"The cybercriminal" selected "the payment option through a recognized international electronic payment platform," the National Police said in a statement.

"And, through a specifically designed computer attack, it altered the transaction validation process, causing the system to authorize the operation after entering only one cent," he added.

The agents detained the suspect "while he was staying in a luxurious hotel in Madrid, to which he had caused economic damage of more than 20,000 euros," they added.

In addition, the suspect, the alleged perpetrator of a crime of computer fraud, consumed products from the minibar for which he later did not pay.

The National Police explained that it is "the first time that this modus operandi has been detected."

The investigation began following a complaint filed on February 2 by a travel booking agency.

The reservation website reported the operation as correctly formalized for the full amount of the stay, with the usual purchase concept, "when in reality the actual payment made was a single cent."

"The irregularity was not detected immediately, but days later, when the payment platform transferred the actual amount paid - one cent per reservation - to the affected company," revealed the National Police.

© 2026 AFP

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