Minute30.com .- The National Police of Spain arrested in Madrid a young computer genius – and deception – who managed to manipulate the payment gateways of a renowned travel website. The captured person enjoyed stays in high-end hotels, with rates exceeding 1,000 euros per night, paying just 0.01 euros.

The fraud, which amounts to 20,000 euros (about 85 million Colombian pesos), was detected after a complaint filed on February 2 by a travel agency that noticed huge discrepancies in its accounts.

How did he do it? The “Phantom Validation” method

Unlike traditional hacks that steal card data, this young man intervened directly in the communication process between the reservation website and the electronic payment platform.

The Intervention: The detainee selected an international payment platform.

The Manipulation: At the time of validating the transaction, the hacker altered the response code.

The Deception: The website system received a “Successful Operation” signal for the total value (e.g. €1,000), but only one cent was transferred to the real account.

Late Detection: As the website recorded the payment as correct, the young man checked in and enjoyed the luxury. The company only realized days later, when the payment platform settled the actual funds.

An unprecedented case of cybercrime

The Spanish authorities have described this method as “sophisticated and never seen before” in the tourism sector.

The young man not only knew programming, but also understood the legal and technical loopholes in international transfers, which allowed him to operate for weeks without being detected.