An unknown hacker has broken into smart washing machines that accept digital payments, leaving over a thousand students without laundry service in Amsterdam. According to Dutch publication Folia, the hacker(s) disabled the payment system on the appliances, so students based in the Spinozacampus housing complex could get their clothes cleaned for free. However, this did not last long, as Duwo, the management company behind the service, didn’t want to get stuck sorting the stains of the unpaid laundry bills.
“Because we purchase the machines ourselves, we need the income to be able to continue offering laundry services to our residents at affordable prices,” its spokesperson told Folia. While it might seem like a small amount for a company to shoulder the cost of laundry, it could soon add up if it’s going to shoulder the cost of providing clean clothes to Spinozacampus’ 1,250 residents.
