Man who labored out methods to keep at luxurious lodges for only a PENNY an evening is arrested for ‘first-of-its-kind’ crime

A suspected cyberhacker has been accused of paying just one penny for five-star hotel rooms that cost hundreds of pounds a night after manipulating the booking system. 

Spanish police said they had arrested a 20-year-old man over the alleged cybercrime, which is said to be the first example of its kind.

The suspect is believed to have manipulated an online payment system, altering the validation process of an electronic payment platform so that bookings appeared fully paid.

But only a minimal amount – one cent (1p) – was actually charged for rooms costing up to 1,000 euros (£890) a night.

‘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 said.

Officers revealed the man also consumed minibar items during his stays and occasionally left bills unpaid.

A suspected 20-year-old cyberhacker has been accused of paying just one penny for five-star hotel rooms that cost hundreds of pounds a night after manipulating the booking system

At the time of his arrest, he was staying at a luxury Madrid hotel with a four-night reservation totalling 4,000 euros (£3,489).

Authorities said the hotel lost more than 20,000 euros (£17,444)

The investigation began after an online booking website noticed suspicious activity earlier this month.

Transactions initially appeared to be complete and correct, but the irregularity was only discovered days later when the payment platform transferred the highly-discounted amount paid to the affected company.