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Poland Man Arrested After Allegedly Ordering 300 Pizzas to Other People's Addresses
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A bizarre series of fake food orders in Poland has led to the arrest of a 23-year-old man accused of using other people's details to order meals that were never requested.
The investigation, led by Poland's Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) under the supervision of the District Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin, involves allegations of persistent harassment and threats made through unpaid food orders.
One of the most unusual alleged orders involved approximately 300 pizzas, while another food order was valued at more than 37,000 Polish złoty—roughly €8,500 at the exchange rate reported at the time.
The suspect has been placed in two months of pre-trial detention and could face up to eight years in prison if convicted.
Importantly, he has not been convicted, and the investigation remains ongoing.
How the Alleged Food-Order Scheme Worked
According to Polish authorities, the suspect allegedly placed food orders using payment on delivery.
The orders were reportedly made using the personal details of other people, meaning restaurants could prepare the meals and send them to addresses where the named recipients had not actually requested anything.
Most of the reported incidents occurred in Szczecin, but investigators also identified orders involving other Polish cities, including Wrocław, Kraków and Warsaw. Authorities said more than a dozen incidents were recorded in Warsaw.
The alleged activity appears to have gone beyond simply ordering food as a prank.
Investigators say some of the order descriptions contained information about the intended recipients that appeared to be known only to them or people close to them.
That reportedly caused some victims to feel threatened and that their privacy had been violated.
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The 300-Pizza Order That Restaurants Could Not Fulfill
The detail that has attracted the most attention is an alleged order for 300 pizzas.
At first glance, the order sounds almost impossible to believe.
According to authorities, however, restaurants did not necessarily prepare every suspicious order that was placed.
In the case of the 300 pizzas, the restaurant reportedly rejected the order because it was not technically capable of preparing such a large quantity within a reasonable period.
That distinction matters.
The suspect is accused of placing the order; it does not mean that 300 pizzas were actually delivered to an unsuspecting household.
Other suspicious orders may have been completed, while others were rejected by restaurants after being identified as impractical or suspicious.
One Order Was Worth More Than 37,000 Złoty
The alleged campaign was not limited to unusually large quantities.
Police said one of the food deliveries had a value exceeding 37,000 złoty.
The orders reportedly used payment-on-delivery arrangements, potentially leaving restaurants exposed if food was prepared and delivered but nobody was willing to pay for it.
For a restaurant, the consequences can extend beyond the value of the food itself.
A false order can potentially involve:
- Ingredients purchased or used unnecessarily
- Staff time
- Kitchen capacity
- Packaging
- Delivery costs
- Lost opportunities to serve genuine customers
- Wasted food
The actual financial losses in individual cases will depend on whether an order was prepared, delivered and ultimately paid for.
Police Say Some Orders Contained Threats
This is one of the most serious aspects of the investigation.
According to the CBZC, some order descriptions allegedly contained threatening references, including references to abducting a minor, setting fire to a notary's office and causing a traffic accident.
Authorities also said some descriptions included personal information about recipients that appeared to be known only to the people involved or those close to them.
That reportedly made the incidents particularly disturbing for the people targeted.
The investigation therefore concerns more than unwanted food deliveries.
Police are examining allegations involving persistent harassment and threats, while the use of other people's personal information has also become part of the investigation.
Politicians and Media Figures Were Also Allegedly Targeted
According to authorities and local reporting, the suspect allegedly used the names and personal details of well-known figures from Polish politics and the media when placing some orders.
The individuals whose details were allegedly used were not necessarily aware that orders had been placed in their names.
This created another layer to the investigation because the alleged conduct was not limited to random addresses.
It potentially involved the misuse of personal information belonging to identifiable individuals.
Why Payment on Delivery Made the Orders So Disruptive
The alleged use of payment on delivery is an important part of understanding how the scheme could affect restaurants.
Under this type of arrangement, a restaurant may prepare the requested food before receiving payment.
If the supposed customer refuses the delivery or does not exist at the address, the restaurant can be left with food and delivery costs that were never recovered.
Repeated incidents can become particularly difficult for smaller businesses.
Local reporting has described restaurant owners dealing with recurring fake orders and having to become increasingly cautious about unusually large or suspicious requests.
Some businesses reportedly began rejecting orders when they believed something was wrong.
That may prevent losses, but it also creates another problem: legitimate customers could potentially face delays or additional verification because businesses have become more cautious.
How Police Identified the Suspect
The investigation involved officers from the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime and the investigative department of the municipal police in Szczecin.
Police eventually detained the suspect at his home.
During a search, investigators seized electronic devices and data-storage media that they believe may have been used to place the false orders.
Those devices could potentially provide investigators with additional information about how the orders were created and whether the same person was responsible for the incidents under investigation.
The evidence will ultimately need to be assessed through the Polish legal process.
The Suspect Has Not Been Convicted
The man is currently a suspect, not a convicted offender.
A court has ordered that he remain in pre-trial detention for two months while the investigation continues.
Authorities say he could face up to eight years in prison for the alleged offenses.
That is a maximum potential penalty, not a sentence he has received.
Whether he will ultimately be convicted, which charges will be formally pursued and what sentence might follow are matters for the Polish justice system.
Why This Is More Serious Than a Food Prank
Ordering an unwanted pizza for a friend might sound like an immature joke.
A repeated campaign involving other people's personal information, unpaid deliveries and alleged threats is very different.
The potential harm can affect several groups at once.
Restaurants
Businesses can lose money, food and staff time when fake orders are prepared.
Delivery Workers
Drivers can spend time traveling to addresses where nobody actually requested a delivery.
Intended Recipients
People whose names and addresses are used without permission may suddenly receive unexpected deliveries or become concerned about why someone appears to know personal information about them.
Businesses and Public Services
Large numbers of false orders can consume resources that would otherwise be used for legitimate customers.
The alleged threats make the situation even more serious because they can cause people to fear that the person behind the orders intends to escalate the behavior.
Could Fake Food Orders Be Used as Harassment?
Yes, at least in principle.
A food-delivery platform provides a convenient way to send something to an address without necessarily having direct contact with the recipient.
If someone repeatedly uses that system to target another person, the activity can become disruptive and potentially frightening.
In this investigation, Polish authorities specifically described the suspected conduct as involving persistent harassment and threats through unpaid food orders.
That is why investigators are treating the case as a potential criminal matter rather than simply dismissing it as an online joke.
What Restaurants Can Learn From the Case
The investigation also highlights practical challenges for food businesses.
Restaurants dealing with unusual online orders may need to pay attention to warning signs such as:
- Extremely large quantities
- Repeated orders to the same address
- Unusual delivery instructions
- Mismatched customer information
- Threatening or disturbing messages
- Orders that appear inconsistent with normal customer behavior
- Multiple suspicious orders using different names
These warning signs do not prove that an order is fraudulent.
However, they can justify additional verification before a restaurant commits substantial resources to preparing an unusually large order.
What Customers Should Do If Someone Orders Food in Their Name
Someone who receives an unexpected food delivery should not automatically assume they are being targeted by a criminal.
There can be innocent explanations, including a mistake by a restaurant or another person with a similar name.
However, repeated unwanted deliveries or threatening messages should be taken seriously.
A person experiencing this type of harassment can:
- Keep records of the deliveries and messages.
- Photograph or preserve relevant order information.
- Contact the restaurant or delivery service.
- Report threats to local law enforcement.
- Avoid confronting a suspected person directly if there is a safety concern.
Preserving evidence can help investigators establish whether apparently isolated incidents are actually connected.
What Happens Next in the Poland Investigation?
The investigation remains ongoing.
Police have detained the 23-year-old suspect, searched his home and secured electronic devices and storage media that may contain evidence related to the alleged orders.
He has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months.
Prosecutors will continue examining the evidence before the case moves forward.
At this stage, the public does not yet have a complete picture of the suspect's alleged motive.
Authorities have not established through a conviction that he committed all of the acts being investigated.
The Bigger Lesson: Online Pranks Can Have Real-World Consequences
The unusual case demonstrates how something that begins online can quickly create consequences in the physical world.
A few clicks can result in:
- A restaurant preparing food
- A driver traveling to an address
- A customer receiving an unexpected delivery
- A business losing money
- A person's private information being misused
- Police becoming involved
Technology makes it easy to place an order, but the consequences are experienced by real people.
The alleged 300-pizza order may be the most memorable part of this investigation, but the more significant issue is the alleged pattern of repeated harassment and threats.
Final Thoughts
The arrest of a 23-year-old man in Poland has brought attention to an unusual alleged form of harassment involving fake food orders.
According to Poland's Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime, investigators are examining repeated unpaid food orders in which other people's personal details were allegedly used.
Some orders reportedly included disturbing threats, while one exceeded 37,000 złoty in value.
Another attempted order involved approximately 300 pizzas, although the restaurant rejected it because preparing such a large quantity was not technically feasible.
The suspect has been placed in two months of pre-trial detention and faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
For now, however, the case remains an investigation.
The most important lesson may be that a so-called prank stops being harmless when it repeatedly causes financial losses, invades people's privacy or makes people feel threatened.
What looked like a bizarre food-delivery stunt has now become a serious criminal investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did someone really order 300 pizzas?
Yes. Polish authorities said one of the suspicious orders involved approximately 300 pizzas. The restaurant rejected the order because it could not technically prepare that quantity efficiently.
Was the 300-pizza order actually delivered?
No. Authorities said some suspicious orders were not completed, including orders that restaurants rejected because of technical limitations. The 300-pizza order was one such example.
How much was the largest reported order worth?
Police said one order exceeded 37,000 Polish złoty.
Where did the alleged orders take place?
Most were reportedly connected to Szczecin, while investigators also identified incidents involving Wrocław, Kraków and Warsaw.
Were threats included in the orders?
According to Polish cybercrime authorities, some order descriptions contained threatening references involving matters such as child abduction, arson and causing a traffic accident.
Has the suspect been convicted?
No. He has been detained while the investigation continues and is presumed innocent unless convicted through the legal process.
How long could he spend in prison?
Authorities say he could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of the offenses under investigation. That is the maximum potential punishment, not a sentence that has already been imposed.
Why did police take the case so seriously?
The investigation involves allegations of repeated harassment and threats, the use of other people's personal information and potentially significant disruption and financial harm to restaurants.
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