Tenerife hacker caught staying in luxury hotels for one cent a night
A 20-year-old hacker from La Laguna has been arrested after allegedly manipulating online payment systems to book luxury hotels in Madrid and Tenerife for as little as one cent. Police estimate he avoided paying around €20,000 in hotel bills and other purchases, including items from technology stores.
The National Police launched “Operation Drago” on 2nd February after an online booking platform reported suspicious activity. Investigators say the suspect altered final payment amounts in PayPal so reservations appeared valid, leaving hotels to later discover that the amounts received did not match the invoice.
According to reports, the young man, who is also a music producer, regularly uploaded content to his social media accounts showing himself enjoying high-end hotel stays. He had allegedly been doing this for some time and had already been arrested in Tenerife for similar offences.
His downfall came when he booked a stay at the prestigious Ritz hotel using his real name. As he was already known to police, officers were able to confirm his identity through security footage before arresting him at the hotel reception. He had reportedly spent several nights there since 6th February without paying thousands of euros in charges.
According to reports, after appearing in court, he was released, and shortly afterwards travelled to Dubai for the weekend before returning to Spain on Monday.
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