A Polish man has been detained after allegedly placing hundreds of fake pizza orders at random addresses across the country, causing significant financial losses for several restaurants.
Poland’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime said the young suspect was detained on allegations including harassment, identity fraud and causing large-scale financial losses to businesses.
According to investigators, the man allegedly used personal information belonging to unsuspecting people to place pizza orders in their names and have them delivered to their homes.
The recipients were reportedly unaware of the orders and had not requested the food.
Fake Orders Contained Personal Information
Police said many of the fraudulent orders contained detailed information about the intended recipients that would normally be known only to the victims themselves or people close to them.
Some of the orders reportedly also included serious threats, adding another dimension to the investigation.
Most of the fake pizza orders were placed at addresses in Szczecin, while dozens of other orders were sent to addresses in several major Polish cities.
The scale of the alleged scheme created problems for both victims and restaurants that received the orders.
Restaurants Suffered Major Losses
Several restaurants reportedly prepared and delivered pizzas based on the fraudulent orders, only to discover that the recipients had not requested them.
As a result, restaurants were left with substantial financial losses from food, preparation costs and deliveries.
Other businesses managed to reject the orders for technical reasons or because the requests appeared impractical.
In one particularly costly incident, the suspect allegedly ordered 300 pizzas worth more than $10,000 in total.
On several other occasions, restaurants cancelled orders after determining that they could not prepare such large quantities within the required timeframe.
Police Raid Suspect’s Home
Following the series of incidents, investigators from the cybercrime unit, together with officers from the municipal police headquarters, raided the suspect’s home.
Authorities seized electronic equipment and data storage devices that investigators believe may have been used to place the fraudulent orders.
The seized material is expected to be examined as investigators work to determine the full scale of the alleged operation and identify the motive behind it.
Police are also continuing to investigate whether the suspect acted alone and whether additional victims or businesses were affected.
Suspect Faces Up to Eight Years in Prison
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are still attempting to establish why the man allegedly carried out the scheme.
If convicted of the charges, the suspect could face up to eight years in prison.
The case highlights how fraudulent online orders can create financial and logistical problems for businesses while also causing distress to people whose personal information is misused.
Authorities are expected to provide further details as the investigation progresses.
