Overview
- After a Feb. 2 complaint from an online booking firm, the national cybercrime unit opened an inquiry and moved within four days.
- Police say the suspect manipulated a third‑party payment gateway so a €0.01 authorization appeared as full payment until bank reconciliation exposed it.
- Officers detained him on Feb. 6 at a luxury Madrid hotel, where he had a four‑night reservation priced at about €1,000 per night.
- Investigators linked him to earlier incidents using transaction records, CCTV and Instagram posts geotagged in Madrid and Tenerife.
- Initial losses are estimated at roughly €20,000, the probe remains open for further offenses, and ABC reports he briefly flew to Dubai after being released.