A 23-year-old man in Poland is facing up to eight years in prison after allegedly placing hundreds of fake food orders in other people’s names, including one request for around 300 pizzas.
The suspect was arrested at his home in Szczecin following an investigation by Poland’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime and officers from the city’s municipal police.
Authorities allege that the man used the names of other people, including politicians, to place food orders that were to be paid for on delivery. The orders were sent to unsuspecting residents who had not requested the meals. According to investigators, the incidents caused significant financial losses for restaurants, which were left with large quantities of unpaid food.
One of the largest orders was for approximately 300 pizzas, reportedly worth around €8,583. Restaurants sometimes rejected unusually large orders because they could not prepare them within the requested timeframe. The alleged scheme was mainly centred on Szczecin but also involved other Polish cities, including Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław.
Police say some of the orders contained detailed personal information about the intended recipients. Investigators believe the information was known only to the victims or people close to them. Some delivery notes allegedly contained threatening references, including threats involving a child, a notary’s office and a road accident.
Authorities said the incidents left victims feeling harassed and threatened, turning what might initially have appeared to be prank food deliveries into a wider investigation involving alleged stalking, identity fraud and financial damage.
Police raided the suspect’s home and seized electronic devices and data storage equipment believed to have been used to make the orders. The man has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months while the investigation continues. His name has not been publicly released.
He has not been convicted, and the allegations against him have not yet been tested in court. If convicted of the offences under investigation, he could face a prison sentence of up to eight years.