Blog of Aaden Detective Agency Munich

Supposed Doctorates, Training, and Additional Qualifications

Although unfortunately there are no published, current, and reliable surveys or case figures on the feigning of school attendance and training, this topic is anything but rare. Especially in assignments involving suspicion of application fraud, Aaden Detective Agency Munich repeatedly encounters false statements regarding education: the alleged university attendance never took place, the supposed training at company X was never completed, and the high school diploma is partly or even completely forged. It does seem so simple: a three-year apprenticeship is invented in the résumé to conceal a period of unemployment and at the same time feign additional qualifications; diplomas and certificates of completion are copied from gullible or even willing friends, family members, online acquaintances, and so on, and altered on the computer with image editing software to show the applicant’s own name. Studying at the renowned University Y in the USA? Surely no one will check that. The certificate for a doctoral thesis passed with top marks – commissioned in an appropriate internet forum, of which there are indeed many, and apparently forged to look deceptively real.

 

When brazenness knows no bounds and takes the above forms, we are no longer talking about a childish prank, but about deliberate and punishable deception of hiring companies. After all, a company that employs unsuitable staff will sooner or later suffer financial damage and, if applicable, even personal injury claims (the latter, for example, in hospitals, construction companies, and so on). The application fraudster therefore commits not only forgery of documents (Section 267 of the German Criminal Code), but likewise fraud (Section 263 of the German Criminal Code). Many HR professionals may already be swallowing hard here and thinking back to one or another candidate who, despite an excellent résumé, delivered surprisingly poor work in the company; you may be wondering: Were we already taken in by a fraudster back then? If there is a justified suspicion, the deployment of our Munich private detectives will pay off, as we check and prove whether the university was actually attended or the training was in fact completed. In this way, you can remove education fraudsters from your company or, through preventive applicant screening by our investigators, protect yourself from an unqualified employee who would otherwise have caused financial losses and reputational damage. We are happy to accept your assignment at the following number: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Comprehensive Consequences for Application Fraudsters – With a Questionable Limitation

In legal practice, lawmakers and courts do not see every act of application deception as brazen and immoral fraud. If false statements in an application only come to light after a longer period of employment and the employee has so far performed impeccably, some – though only a few – labor court judges see a customary right in favor of the offender. The offense of forgery of documents, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, would in such cases still remain criminally relevant, but if the employer is forced to continue employing the person, they will have only limited interest in criminal prosecution. The employing company is then compelled, in the interest of smooth operations despite the falsified résumé, to reach an agreement with the offender. But as stated: according to the experience of our detective agency in Munich, such judicial views are the absolute exception, and we only know of such cases from colleagues’ reports.

 

Therefore, every applicant is advised to be honest both in the written application and in the personal interview. Proof of education fraud ultimately leads not only to termination and possible damage claims, but also to criminal prosecution of the offense. In addition, if a detective agency is commissioned by the employer, the detective costs incurred must be borne by the offender as the cause of those costs.

“Oops, Just a Typo!” – Excuses Not Accepted

Anyone caught lying directly in a job interview can imagine that they will not be hired. Rigid HR managers will also report document forgery and other attempts at fraud immediately. And even if it only becomes apparent after the probationary period that, for example, the previous employment was actually just a two-month internship, the new hire cannot simply talk their way out of it: claiming that, how embarrassing, they typed too quickly and mistakenly stated that it was only an internship “does not protect against punishment.” After all, every applicant guarantees with their signature, the date, and the place on the résumé that all information is correct.

Court-Admissible Specialist Investigations

First of all, there are also ways for HR managers to check individual aspects of résumés for truthfulness, but laypersons can do no more than a superficial search, and the admissibility of any evidence obtained is limited due to the lack of objectivity – our private detective agency from Munich steps in when HR managers can no longer make progress or do not have the time resources to conduct preliminary research. Cover calls to and research regarding alleged previous employers clarify whether the applicant actually worked there, whether the stated position and time period are accurate, whether the employment reference presented was really issued in that form, or whether it may in fact be a favor based on personal or business connections. Did the training in the parents’ business really take place, or is it only being claimed and backed by the managing father? Perhaps he even used his connections to secure a recommendation through a cooperating company in order to get the lazy son an undeservedly high position in another company. Depending on the case, our economic investigators conduct surveillance and or research that can be used in court to prove whether the applicant actually completed training.

 

To protect yourself legally and, in the event that a contract has already been signed, to be able to issue an effective dismissal without notice, you should not rely on a second-rate detective agency. The quality of Aaden detectives in Munich is unparalleled in terms of legality, value for money, and professionalism. Evidence obtained through an unlawfully conducted background check cannot be used in court and therefore loses its value. That is why good advice and a careful review of the facts are the basis of every assignment – our detective agency values your satisfaction far more than meeting any internal sales targets.

Suspiciously Good Applicant? Contact a Detective Agency at the First Suspicion.

Do you suspect fraud behind an applicant’s seemingly flawless résumé? Is a newly hired employee delivering extraordinarily poor work relative to the qualifications they claimed? Then contact our economic detectives in Munich. You can reach us by email at info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de or by phone at +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

New Fraud Scheme Causing Four-Figure Losses per Person

At the beginning of last year, there were nine closely spaced cases involving a brazen new scam: the perpetrators rented a beautiful, centrally located Munich apartment for a few days through the vacation rental platform Airbnb, took photos in the apartment, and then posted advertisements for the rental with a site plan and all important details online. Interested parties were thus able to arrange viewing appointments with the fraudsters and then received an email after the apartment viewing with the supposed “landlords’” confirmation. All interested parties were instructed in the email to transfer a deposit equal to three months’ rent and a down payment for the new kitchen to the fraudsters’ account. After that, they would receive the keys. As one might expect, it did not take long for the rude awakening to come: payments between 4,000 and 5,000 euros per victim were now in the hands of unknown fraudsters, and the initially so blissful tenants were still without an apartment.

 

Now, with many forms of trick fraud, most people do shake their heads at how naïve the victim was when falling into the trap. But hand on heart: when you rented your last apartment, did you ask to see proof of ownership from the landlord before transferring the deposit? Most likely not. While the “grandparent scam” in its various forms is known to almost everyone, the scam described above is something new that requires educational work to reduce the number of successful offenses. There is also a whole range of other types of fraud in the context of (supposed) tenancies; we would like to discuss some of them in more detail below. As a general rule: if you have become a victim of such fraud, our detective agency in Munich is ready to assist you in clarifying the case: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Too Good to Be True? Beware of Lowball Offers and Foreign Transfers!

In many German cities, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, “brokers” or “landlords” from abroad often offer beautiful old buildings in good locations at ridiculously low rental prices. In this way, customers are lured in, believing they have discovered a once-in-a-lifetime bargain. The offered bargain rent or bargain purchase price instead of market-rate figures naturally attracts numerous interested parties, all of whom receive a promise from the alleged broker on the condition that a deposit and the first month’s rent be transferred immediately. Only then, they are told, is the apartment reserved, which is why the interested parties naturally hurry to transfer the amount and thereby seal the deal. Given the low cost, people then accept the time pressure and may not scrutinize the property and the broker as closely as they normally would.

 

Apartment seekers and buyers should therefore exercise extreme caution when transfer requests are made via Western Union or other international money transfer companies, which make it extremely difficult to trace both account holders and transferred amounts. Payments through such transfer companies often have the smell of illegal dealings attached to them, as the experience of our economic detectives from Munich shows: while simple bank transfers can usually be reversed in very little time—provided the account has not already been emptied—this is far more difficult with international financial institutions. Prospective tenants should also ask themselves why a landlord of an apartment offered in Germany would demand a transfer abroad.

Exploiting Hardship for Fraudulent Purposes – Students Are Particularly Affected

Not only our private detective agency in Munich, but also consumer protection organizations warn against being overly naïve in the face of seemingly perfect apartments. Especially in cities like Munich, where affordable housing is scarce but there are many students, some of whom receive their university admission only at a late stage, caution is advised. Due to the large influx of new first-semester students, apartments are sometimes rented blindly and the required deposits are paid—without the property ever being viewed. The desperation and time pressure of those searching for housing are therefore easy prey for fraudsters, who exploit students’ haste and once again tie the promise to a deposit payment. The students pay—and after only a few days are left with an empty savings account and the problem of having to find a new apartment with reduced funds.

 

Since these cases can (and do) occur all across Europe, it is important to take precautions before any money is transferred. Once the down payments have been made, it is virtually impossible for private individuals to find the perpetrators and recover the transferred money: accounts are emptied immediately after the transfer and the perpetrators are usually gone within a few hours. While the police, especially in large cities, are primarily occupied with serious violent crime—if they are available at all—and can do little for the victims of such deposit fraudsters, our economic detective agency from Munich is ready to act at short notice to follow the digital and analog traces of the fraudsters and stop them on behalf of those affected.

Fraudster Fantasies Know No Limits: Fake Companies Are Meant to Suggest Legitimacy

Apart from illegal rental agreements for vacation apartments and deposit fraud without a prior apartment viewing, there are other forms of fraud as well, including the use of fake companies that are intended to remove doubts from apartment seekers regarding the seriousness of an offer and strengthen their willingness to rent. In such cases, the deposit and any down payments are not transferred directly to the apparent landlord, but rather to an intermediary company with a professional website and seemingly genuine contact details, which is meant to reassure even skeptical rental prospects. The customer feels safe, since they now have not just one person but a company as a point of contact in case of problems. As a result, they follow the payment instructions and end up empty-handed, because the intermediary company may have a nice website but exists only in virtual form.

 

This scheme is often carried out by email once an interested party has responded to the apartment listing. The supposed property owner tells an elaborate story to justify why payment must be made before the viewing. Example: he is a British businessman with a second home in Germany, but can no longer come there regularly because his wife has cancer. Since he now stays abroad permanently, a reliable intermediary company handles all rental matters. If interested parties fall for this story, they often lose not only their down payments, but also hand over their credit card details to commercially operating fraudsters. Our Munich detectives therefore strongly warn against such flowery emails that follow an initial contact inquiry regarding an apartment advertisement.

Personally Affected by Deposit Fraudsters – What Can Aaden Detective Agency Munich Do for Me?

Have you, after viewing an apartment and transferring a reservation payment, realized that you have fallen for a fraudster and are now without money AND without an apartment? Have you observed unlawful practices or suspect that a certain apartment ad is intended to lure naïve people into quickly transferring deposits and down payments? Do you want to get on the fraudsters’ trail as quickly and effectively as possible? Then contact our private detectives in Munich for consultation and commissioning purposes. You can reach Aaden Detective Agency during our business hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 19:00) at the following phone number: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Suspicious expense reports in type and/or amount

Employees who have to travel for their employer on a Saturday, undertaking long train or car journeys to meetings with difficult clients and thus missing out on rest after an already exhausting workweek, may feel entitled to a little “extra” on top of their regular expense reimbursement: four beers after work get billed as an “aperitif with potential clients,” a bar acquaintance becomes a “company brunch” the next day, and the private car can easily be claimed as a company vehicle when refueling. The associated receipts are later, of course, submitted to the accounting department as expenses.

 

What may initially sound relatively harmless is far more than a trivial matter; expense and time-report fraud, as the name suggests, are types of fraud—criminal acts—even if the amounts involved are small, such as minor fuel costs. Although many Bavarian employers are unaware of the fraudsters among their own staff or have not yet recognized the seriousness of the problem, an increasing number of affected company managers rely on the work of Aaden Detective Agency Munich for suspicious expense claims. Through observations, embedding individual investigators, and researching the personal environment of the suspect, our experienced specialist detectives gather court-admissible evidence that in many cases justifies immediate termination and withstands scrutiny in labor courts: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Variable Methods of Our Munich Detective Agency

If a company repeatedly encounters expense reports with unusually high sums or suspicious purposes, it must be feared that at least one employee is acting manipulatively, gaining an illegal supplementary income through expense fraud. Alleged business meals often do not correspond to actually scheduled appointments; times of different submitted items overlap, or receipts appear to have been altered (expense manipulation). Regardless of how initial suspicion arises, it is important to identify the offender as quickly as possible to prevent further fraudulent actions and to deter potential imitators through strict consequences.

 

There are many ways to catch offenders: through observations of field staff or business travelers, our Munich detectives document in writing and photo whether the dinner later submitted as a business meal was actually held with a partner or friends; embedding an investigator in the affected company enables internal observation; research at hotels, workshops, restaurants, and, if necessary, business partners and clients can uncover abusive or manipulated expense claims even after the fact.

Strict Measures or Turning a Blind Eye?

For employers, any situation in which their own employees are the focus of investigations is delicate, as it is understandable not to expect the worst from one’s staff. However, it is important not to be guided by personal sympathy and not to turn a blind eye too often; after all, falsified expense reports can become a significant and unnecessary cost over time.

 

Company management has broad discretion in deciding consequences for offending employees: one employer may act strictly, immediately terminating the delinquent employee and additionally pursuing legal measures (damages, criminal complaint); another may prefer not to make a mountain out of a molehill and exercise leniency in the case of a first-time false expense claim. Every management team must be aware, however, that a single leniency can quickly become a benchmark for other employees. Once an exception is made, it would need to be repeated for the next caught employee to avoid accusations of arbitrariness or double standards.

 

Based on their experience, our business detectives in Munich recommend a strict approach to expense report fraud, to deter not only the current offender but also potential imitators from further attempts. Even employees who have never falsified expenses benefit from this approach, as they perceive fair treatment in comparison to fraudulent colleagues and see that positive behavior is rewarded while negative behavior is sanctioned. Nonetheless, the Aaden detectives have also handled cases where a middle ground between strict measures and leniency was highly successful.

Fraud and Forgery – Criminal Consequences as a Corporate Leverage

It can often be assumed with near certainty that one or more employees submit expense reports negligently, if not deliberately altered. In both cases, the use of our private detectives in Munich helps gather evidence of willful criminal or negligently company-damaging behavior in the workplace: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de.

 

Field staff and employees on business trips in particular tend to exaggerate their expense claims to receive reimbursement for money to which they are not entitled. In the end, the company and the offender’s colleagues are the ones who suffer, as a climate of mistrust usually prevents productive and pleasant work. The offenders face not only disciplinary measures; even small amounts constitute fraud under Section 263 of the German Criminal Code (StGB). For manipulated invoices or forged signatures, the offense of forgery under Section 267 StGB also applies. Our detectives in Munich have frequently witnessed how such breaches of trust resulted not only in termination but also in criminal proceedings.

Suspicious Expense Reports in Your Own Company – Munich Private Detectives Step In

If you or your accounting staff have noticed signs of misused or manipulated expense reports, it is advisable to involve our detective agency in Munich to protect yourself before taking labor law measures and avoid a lengthy, openly contested legal dispute with the employee in question. Our investigations gather court-admissible evidence such as video and photo material and witness statements, helping you and your company remove fraudulent employees as quickly as possible and, if desired, pursue criminal prosecution. Contact the Aaden Detective Agency Munich during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) free of charge: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Detectives from Munich Are on Duty Day and Night in Cases of Unpaid Debts

Both in professional life and in various areas of private life, they appear: debtors who withhold money and refuse under any circumstances to pay their creditors. Whether it is a delinquent customer who does not pay for an order long since received, or a long-term tenant who suddenly seems to have vanished into thin air, leaving a well-meaning landlord stuck with rental debts. Attempts to locate the often fugitive and hidden debtor in order to make them settle their outstanding debts frequently fail after just a few steps: fictitious residences, relocation abroad, or a simple deregistration from German population registers prevent creditors from obtaining justice. Even judicial authorities and the police can rarely do anything if the debtor disappears without the slightest indication of their current whereabouts.

 

In such seemingly hopeless cases, the deployment of our detective agency in Munich with its experienced investigators provides a glimmer of hope: surveillance of the last known address, the workplace, the alleged new residence, or relatives of the debtor, as well as research into the possible location and undercover meetings with the individual, including subsequent tracking, usually provide the desired certainty of how to reach the debtor: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Detective Investigations in Cases of Tenant Flight

If a delinquent tenant quietly leaves the country after several months without paying rent, both property managers and private landlords may be faced with significant financial problems and debts. If the debtor is now living abroad, they can easily evade enforcement measures and simply wait until their case is closed or becomes time-barred. While the possibilities for former landlords to act on their own are severely limited, our detectives from Munich, thanks to their many years of experience and knowledge of debtor tactics, can achieve what police and judicial authorities often cannot due to numerous parallel investigations: identifying the current place of residence and thus initiating legal measures to ensure justice for the creditors.

Fraud and Escape After a Completed Purchase

It often happens to both private and professional online sellers on purchasing or auction platforms that they are deceived by fraudsters, ship unpaid or only supposedly paid goods, only to discover that the delivery address is no longer occupied or was fake from the outset so that the “buyer” could disappear with the goods. Even cautious sellers are easily deceived by forged screenshots or alleged proof of bank transfers presented in order to prompt a quick shipment. At the end of such fraud, the seller is often left with significant losses and has little recourse. Investigations into the perpetrator, surveillance of the environment of the delivery address, as well as interviews with neighbors and background checks on the “buyer” by our private detectives in Munich usually provide the necessary clues to locate the fugitive debtor.

 

Of the 6.85 million debtors registered in 2016, 0.78 million lived in Bavaria, making it the second-highest figure; only North Rhine-Westphalia had more, with a total of 1.67 million. In federal states where the economy is booming and prosperity is highest, the willingness to defraud others of their money increases. Especially when it comes to larger sums and not “just” a student who has received a credit bureau entry due to an unpaid cell phone bill, swift action is required—particularly in cases of suspected commercial fraud, which is often committed by organized groups. These fraudsters repeatedly succeed in obtaining goods or money through their ever-changing schemes without ever intending to repay the corresponding amounts. A rapid deployment of business investigators therefore not only helps the already affected creditor, but also any potential future victims, as after successful investigations the perpetrators usually face not only civil claims but also criminal consequences.

Men More Often Debtors Than Women

It is striking that more than two thirds of known debtors in Germany—the number of unreported cases is likely alarmingly high—are men; of the aforementioned 6.85 million debtors, only 2.64 million were women. This is also consistent with previous findings on the proportion of women involved in other crimes; statistically, less than one third of fraud cases are committed by women. The intervention of our Aaden Detective Agency Munich is, of course, gender-neutral, as every case of fraud must be clarified (if it improves the chances of investigative success, we are also very happy to work with female detectives). If a creditor’s own attempts to determine the address of debtors fail, our investigators have a variety of methods at their disposal to locate those responsible:

 

• Database research via our information network
• Requests for official information thanks to our contacts within police and authorities
• Surveillance of known locations of the individual (for example workplace, partner’s residence, etc.)

Social networks are also often a goldmine for investigations, as many debtors mistakenly feel safe there and share status updates or photos that reveal their current location. The perceived anonymity of the internet often leads to carelessness on the part of debtors, which benefits both the victim and our investigators in locating the delinquent individual.

Are You Affected by a Debtor Who Does Not Meet Their Payment Obligations?

If you, your company, or your family are affected by one of the cases described above or a similar situation, please feel free to contact our private investigators and business detectives from Munich during our business hours (Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 19:00) in order to discuss and plan the appropriate course of action for your specific case. Whether you are a private landlord dealing with a rent dodger or delinquent tenant, or your business has fallen victim to a fraudster—our detective agency uses all available means and expertise to ensure that justice is served and to obtain court-admissible evidence for possible legal proceedings. You can reach us at the following phone number: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

“They’re just pallets.”

Time and again, newspapers report on stolen transport goods, primarily taken from warehouses and trucks; each year, property crimes cost German logistics companies around 8.5 billion euros. Although the damage caused by stolen Euro pallets alone is not quite as high, companies in the forwarding and logistics sector—as well as their customers—still suffer steady losses amounting to several million euros. The troubling reality: unlike cargo theft, pallet theft is most often committed by internal employees who sell the pallets to third parties for illegal side income. External perpetrators do exist, especially with the growing trend of building furniture from used Euro pallets, but they are the exception.

 

According to the experience of our detectives in Munich, many offenders are not even fully aware that they are committing a criminal act, let alone one that goes beyond a so-called minor offense. Others, however, act with full awareness and therefore proceed with particular caution. In both cases, our economic detective agency in Munich provides court-admissible evidence to identify and convict offenders: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

“Everyone does it.”

Frequently, regular truck cargo is secured with pallets to prevent it from shifting or falling, and the number of “securing pallets” is often not recorded precisely, as a convicted truck driver from Delmenhorst stated to the Weser Kurier as the reason for his thefts: “Almost everybody does it. In this industry, it is routine. Drivers who offer pallets are welcomed with open arms by the trade.” He said he got the tip from a colleague: freight companies make it easy for thieves because they often lose track of the actual pallet inventory.

 

Nevertheless, the Delmenhorst man was caught when the police, after initial suspicions from the freight company, checked him and found money from the last handover in his wallet. The freight company suffered damage estimated at 50,000 euros, the compensation for which had to be negotiated with the thief and two other defendants. The driver received only a one-year suspended sentence and an order to pay 1,200 euros to the state treasury. The claim that “everyone” does it had once caused parts of the industry to panic, while for experienced investigators like our economic detectives in Munich it was nothing new, just as the industry already familiar media “revelation” that the American NSA has access to German wiretapping networks was nothing new.

The Largest Known Damage to Date from Pallet Theft in Ludwigshafen Amounted to Millions

While thefts of euro pallets often cause costs in the tens of thousands of euros – including in the operations of our private detectives in Munich – it is rare for damage amounts to reach the millions. Nevertheless, between 2008 and 2010, the warehouse manager of the chemical company BASF regularly stole wooden pallets from the company’s plants, resold them to third parties, and thereby earned a fortune in addition to his regular salary. The roughly 300,000 brand-new wooden pallets stolen from the Ludwigshafen plant correspond to about 700 truckloads and, according to the freight company, caused damage of more than two million euros. The employee, who confessed, was dismissed without notice; the workplaces of two other employees were also searched, and three employees of an outside company as well as 16 other external persons were barred from the plant.

 

Ultimately, however, the charges were brought only against six offenders, who had to answer in court in Frankenthal (Palatinate) for organized theft and handling stolen goods. Co-defendants alongside the BASF warehouse manager, who orchestrated the thousandfold theft by issuing false papers, included two truck drivers, two fruit merchants who resold the pallets after delivery by the truck drivers, and a freight dispatcher. In a smaller hearing, which our detective agency in Munich followed with interest, all defendants had already been sentenced to suspended terms; in the end, the head of the theft ring was sentenced to three years in prison for aggravated theft, as was the fruit merchant, whose brother got away with a one-year-and-nine-month suspended sentence and a fine of several thousand euros. One of the truck drivers received seven months suspended, while the sentences of the two remaining defendants were still pending; in total, BASF had already recovered 380,000 euros in damages.

Protection Against Damage from Pallet Theft with the Help of Experienced Detectives in Munich

While in Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, and Stuttgart some freight companies have already joined forces to engage detective agencies for the regular monitoring of deliveries, and similar efforts also exist in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Hesse, such associations are not yet known in Bavaria, although they are recommended by our economic detective agency from Munich. If irregularities occur in the work processes of drivers and warehouse employees, they are checked, and in the event of discrepancies, clients may request that they be invited to conversations with trained detective staff in order to possibly secure even a notarized acknowledgment of debt. If the suspicions are confirmed, the employees are generally dismissed without notice, as in the case of the BASF employee, and may even face legal proceedings – depending on the circumstances and mutual out-of-court cooperation. The success of this approach is reflected in a significant decline in thefts and a greater awareness of wrongdoing among freight company employees, as stated by a managing partner of the Bremen Freight Forwarders Association. Even though only an absolute minority of employed warehouse workers and truck drivers are involved in euro pallet theft, it is nevertheless important for workflow and the protection of company assets to separate oneself from exactly this minority.

 

The estimated monthly loss of 5,000–25,000 euros per freight company shows only the average damage sums each firm must expect when using pallets for its cargo. There are no limits to the thieves’ creativity, whether it is the already mentioned theft of “leftover” pallets or more sophisticated methods such as reloading individual pallets and thereby embezzling them at the customer’s site, exchanging defective pallets in the warehouse for new ones, relabeling new euro pallets as defective, forging pallet slips, and so on. Our detective team from Munich works against these and any other type of theft. We catch offenders in the act and provide you with court-admissible evidence that can lead to the conviction of the suspects or to an out-of-court settlement favorable to you: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de.

Affected by Theft or Embezzlement? Our Detective Agency in Munich Can Help

Has your company become a victim of theft and or embezzlement? Then do not hesitate to contact our experienced economic investigators in Munich. Our team is available to assist you with surveillance, evidence gathering, company infiltration, cover-story development, and other offender investigations. Contact us free of charge at the following number: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Fraud Schemes for Double Payroll

In investigations conducted by our detective agency for Rosenheim* regarding unauthorized or even explicitly prohibited secondary employment, our clients’ suspicion is often accompanied by the receipt of a medical certificate of incapacity for work from the employee under surveillance. This is hardly surprising, as anyone who takes on a part-time job in addition to full-time employment is usually chronically overworked. Very few employees manage to balance both in the long term. However, since some workers do not want or cannot afford to forgo income, they look for alternatives. One of these is to alternately call in sick with their employers, thereby effectively working only one job while still receiving double pay. In such cases, the second job is usually either explicitly approved, does not pose a problem under employment law, or is carried out secretly because the employment contract with the primary employer prohibits secondary employment.

Poor Performance and Disreputable Employment – Approval for the Second Job Revoked

In the following case example from our economic detective agency in Rosenheim*, the situation was somewhat different: Mr. Erding had worked for approximately four months, with the consent of his primary employer (a transportation company), in a secondary role as a bouncer at a nightclub in Rosenheim. However, it quickly became apparent to management that his performance suffered significantly due to the side job – hardly surprising, as the bouncer job began around 11 p.m. and continued into the early hours on weekends, while his shifts as a packer and delivery driver sometimes started as early as 6 a.m. As a result, Mr. Erding occasionally appeared at his primary workplace still wearing his secondary job attire, as the transition between shifts was seamless and he had no break in between. Anyone who sleeps so little and works so continuously makes mistakes – as was also the case with Mr. Erding.

 

Furthermore, it turned out that the supposed nightclub was not a simple dance bar but rather a brothel. From a reputational standpoint, it was unacceptable for the transportation company that its employees were engaged in such activities. Accordingly, the company prohibited the employee from continuing the secondary employment. When a sick note from the same employee arrived shortly afterward, management suspected a pretext to continue the side job. It was therefore presumed to be a combination of prohibited secondary employment and sick leave fraud. Consequently, the company engaged our detective agency in Rosenheim*.

When the Target Person Remains Elusive

After receiving the assignment, a two-person detective team positioned itself in Rosenheim* in the evening at Mr. Erding’s residential address and at the main entrance of the brothel. The target person’s vehicle was located at neither of these places nor in the immediate vicinity (within walking distance). Shortly before 9 p.m., there was evidently a change of bouncers at the establishment, but neither the arriving nor the departing employee was Mr. Erding. Meanwhile, our second economic detective in Rosenheim* went from the target person’s residence to the apartment of his partner, where he found the target vehicle parked and subsequently continued surveillance at that address. In one of the windows associated with the target apartment according to the doorbell panel, a light was on – presumably both the target person and his partner were inside the building.

 

Since Mr. Erding could not be sighted until midnight, our private detective in Rosenheim* entered the brothel under the pretext of being a client in order to check the individuals working there. According to his prior observations, there were no other guests present at that time, as the last one had left just minutes earlier. Apart from the bouncer seen at around 9 p.m. and the prostitutes working there, no other person was visible in the establishment; apparently, Mr. Erding was not working that day. Shortly afterward, our two investigators agreed by phone to end the operation for that day.

Sudden Recovery at the Stroke of Midnight

Unfortunately, Aaden Corporate Detective Agency had only been commissioned three days before the end of the sick leave period. Accordingly, after the unsuccessful previous day, only one operation remained to verify the suspicion of sick leave abuse. This was the decisive day. At the start of surveillance, the target vehicle was again parked in front of the partner’s residence. At the club, however, there was no change of bouncers at the same time as the previous day; when the brothel door was opened for a customer, our detective in Rosenheim* was able to determine that the same man from the previous day was again on duty. The target person still did not appear.

 

At exactly 12 a.m., the medical certificate of incapacity for work expired, and at exactly 12 a.m., Mr. Erding left his partner’s residence, got into his car, and drove directly to the brothel, where he relieved his colleague at the door. About an hour later, one of our two economic investigators entered the club under the pretext of being a client in order to be able to testify to the target person’s activity. Indeed, Mr. Erding opened the door for him, led him to a bar, and later into a separate room where the women were to be presented to him as a supposed customer. During the tour, our private detective in Rosenheim* engaged in casual conversation with the target person, who confirmed that he had been working there for about four months. During the conversation, Mr. Erding cleaned the bar, offered the investigator a drink, and operated the cash register. Once he had seen enough, our observer simulated a call from his wife in coordination with his colleague waiting outside and left the establishment to continue surveillance.

Secondary Employment Proven in a Court-Admissible Manner

Based on the above observations, it was proven in a court-admissible manner that the target person continued to engage in the secondary employment at the brothel despite an explicit prohibition by the primary employer. Two further surveillance operations by our detective agency in Rosenheim* on the following days confirmed the regularity of the activity.

 

However, whether sick leave fraud also occurred is difficult to assess. On the one hand, Mr. Erding only resumed the activity after the end of the sick leave; on the other hand, the legitimacy of the incapacity for work appears doubtful given that the target person resumed work exactly at the minute the sick leave ended.

*Notice*

Note: For reasons of discretion and data protection, the locations and certain personal details have been altered without changing the substance of the actual events.

 

*Note: All assignments of Aaden Detective Agency Munich are processed by our operations management in Munich. We have a network of qualified, vetted investigators who can be active on site for you within a short time.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Munich Economic Detectives Investigate Where the Tax Office and Police Have Their Hands Tied

After increasingly brazen cases of tax evasion became known, especially among prominent German citizens such as Alice Schwarzer or former Bayern player, manager, and president Uli Hoeneß, the search by tax authorities and journalists for further cases is in full swing. You can also commission our detective agency in Munich (+49 89 7007 4378-0) to investigate a suspicion of tax evasion, for example if you are a company owner, private individual, tax official, or even a banker who may suspect an employee of conducting financial transactions for bank clients by illegal means.

 

The temptation to place money abroad in numbered accounts or invest it in sham transactions and thus, or in other ways, evade payments to the tax authorities is especially high for large and medium-sized companies, but also for wealthy private individuals. Our economic detectives in Munich repeatedly come into contact with tax offenses, sometimes directly in line with the assignment objective, sometimes as a secondary finding from the investigation of other criminal offenses.

VAT Carousel Defrauds 850 Million Euros

Only a few weeks ago, the verdict was handed down in a case against an internationally operating ring of tax fraudsters, in which five employees of a major German banking group were each sentenced to suspended prison terms of two years and fines of 200,000 euros, while the highest-ranking of these bank employees, department head and mastermind of the illegal foreign transactions, received a three-year prison sentence. In the period of just one year between 2009 and 2010, 850 million euros were evaded through VAT fraud. The bank employees had traded emission allowances for annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from abroad; these allowances were purchased abroad and resold multiple times in Germany by intermediary companies, but without paying sales tax on the purchases. The last intermediary company ultimately sold the papers abroad again and had the VAT refunded by the tax office, although it had never been paid in the first place.

 

In a case involving such high-level tax fraud, detectives such as those from Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Munich are active alongside the police, tax office, and tax investigation authorities to help apprehend the offenders and present court-admissible evidence that leads to a conviction: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de.

Procedure in Case of Suspected Tax Evasion or VAT Fraud

Our private detectives in Munich are of course not only specialized in cases of tax evasion involving sums in the hundreds of millions, but also investigate smaller, often private financial transactions, for example in the purchase of houses, apartments, and cars, (allegedly) dubious classified ads, or the acquisition of electronics. False statements are often made in order to deceive lenders, buyers, or tax authorities and therefore pay no taxes or only heavily reduced taxes. The notion that tax fraud involving small amounts hardly harms the economy is a widespread misconception.

 

If there is suspicion of tax evasion (deception, fraud, document forgery, false statements, and so on), our detective team in Munich begins its investigation: if legally permissible, the communication of the persons involved is monitored, payment paths and, if applicable, delivery routes are traced, and meetings with involved parties (accomplices) are observed so that court-admissible documented evidence can be gathered. Against suspicious employees, our economic investigators in Munich also occasionally use decoys who, during customer or advisory meetings with the employees concerned, check whether they suggest illegal tax tricks or attempt to generate their own profits through deliberate false advice. Through the testimony of these detective decoys, an intent to defraud can often be documented and proven in such cases.

Germany Is Defrauded of Up to 100 Billion Euros in Taxes Every Year

As already explained, the German economy is repeatedly harmed each year to an unimaginable extent in the billions; Stern estimates the losses to the state through money laundering, illegal employment, and illegal tax tricks at between 30 and 159 billion euros per year, money that could otherwise have been used for the public good. The sum currently regarded as most likely is the 100 billion euros that Brigitte Unger, director of the Institute of Economic and Social Sciences at the Hans Böckler Foundation, suspects as the annual loss. Although the purchase of tax CDs, primarily from Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein, has helped expose some long-term tax offenders and since 2010 more than 123,000 tax evaders have turned themselves in (see Statista), it is impossible for the police and tax investigation authorities to significantly curb the tax losses.

 

With the help of professionally trained economic and private investigators such as those at Aaden Detective Agency Munich, however, further possibilities can be exploited to apprehend tax fugitives and tax offenders that are not available to official investigators due to time and personnel constraints as well as legal restrictions and bureaucratic limitations. Especially when private individuals or company managers need help, for example because they suspect tax offenders among their employees based on concrete indications such as inconsistent figures, but no clear involvement of the relevant workers can be proven, the deployment of a private investigator or several detectives for surveillance is the only solution. In cases involving relatively small amounts of tax evasion, neither the police nor the tax office will act directly, especially when the matter has a civil-law character, such as financial damage to the employer, in the foreground. Commissioning Aaden Economic Detective Agency Munich is particularly advisable when suspicion of tax evasion within one’s own ranks is to be investigated discreetly so that the company is not publicly discredited or otherwise harmed.

Commissioning Aaden Commercial Detective Agency Munich

If you notice irregularities in your company or in purchases you have made, please contact our detective agency in Munich in confidence to receive a free consultation on how to proceed in your very personal case. We will explain in detail which conditions must necessarily be met for surveillance of the suspicious persons, which forms and tactics of investigation are necessary or advisable, and what costs are expected: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Sudden Loss of Revenue Due to Malicious False Statements?

The company Freising Kühlmittel generated most of its revenue from refurbished cooling equipment. The company’s prices for used goods naturally undercut the competition’s prices for new equipment, and Freising Kühlmittel GmbH enjoyed strong sales. But around mid-2015, a sudden decline set in, several customers dropped out, and the acquisition of new customers noticeably stalled. The managing director and lead client of Aaden Detectives Munich, Mr. Bader, naturally tried to determine the cause of this threatening situation himself. He spoke with people in the industry and with his customers and learned of rumors that two of his competitors in the sale of cooling equipment, namely sellers of new goods, were systematically speaking negatively about the quality of the refurbished Freising products at trade fairs, during customer meetings, and on other occasions.

 

This form of unfair competition could, of course, not simply be tolerated by Mr. Bader at his company, so he researched online what could be done about it – the solution was Aaden Coporate Detective Agency Munich.

Developing a Detective Investigation Strategy

Together with the managing director of Freising Kühlmittel GmbH, our Munich detectives developed a plan to verify his suspicion and, if confirmed, to prove the competition violations. Our specialists designed the investigation strategy on two fronts: first, they would construct an elaborate cover story by which two of our private detectives from Munich could introduce themselves to the suspected companies as interested buyers of cooling equipment. On that occasion, they would discreetly steer the conversation toward refurbished used goods and – should the Freising GmbH not already have been mentioned on its own – name the client company explicitly. The second approach involved a visit to a trade fair for cooling equipment by two of our investigators. There, the detectives from Munich would again pose as interested parties (though with a simpler cover) and receive personal consultations at the respective exhibition stand of each company.

 

Since the assignment had just been given to Aaden Detective Agency Munich and a trade fair was imminent at which both target companies would have stands, our investigators used the “trade fair” approach first. Two of our private detectives were thoroughly briefed by Mr. Bader on the basics of cooling technology, the most common cooling devices, and the structures of the industry. They also carried out their own preliminary research on the target companies, including any past competition violations, cease-and-desist letters, and poor reputations, but only ordinary minor matters came to light.

Verification of Suspicion at a Trade Fair

Thus prepared, the detectives from Munich went to the trade fair and visited the stand of the first company, let us call it Rosenheim Kühlmittel GmbH. They were welcomed very warmly, each received a coffee, and after a short wait a customer advisor personally attended to their request. He explained the advantages and disadvantages of various cooling solutions and devices and supported his presentation with fact sheets, technical drawings, and model photographs. After some time, the detectives said that they had not expected such prices and asked how the company handled used equipment. The advisor from Rosenheim Kühlmittel said that they did not offer any, and generally one had to ensure that the goods were properly maintained or professionally refurbished. The investigators of Aaden Detective Agency Munich then repeatedly tried to steer the conversation toward specific suppliers of used goods and, ultimately, quite explicitly toward Freising Kühlmittel GmbH. The customer advisor, however, consistently made it clear that he knew too little about that area to give a well-founded opinion. The detectives thanked him and took their leave.

 

After that, they presented the same cover story at the stand of the second target company. There, they were initially asked to return later, as all advisors were currently in conversation. A specific appointment was arranged for about an hour later. When the consultation finally took place, the employee explained some of the machines directly at the exhibit. He was courteous and professional, and Freising Kühlmittel GmbH was not actively mentioned. The economic detectives from Munich therefore steered the conversation toward used equipment, but this customer advisor also stated that he was not sufficiently familiar with that field. He did know the company Freising Kühlmittel, but he had nothing either good or bad to say about it. After this meeting, Aaden Commercial Detective Agency Munich ended the trade fair investigation route and turned to the second variant.

 

Im Anschluss trugen sie die gleiche Legende am Stand der zweiten Zielfirma vor. Hier vertröstete man sie zunächst auf später, da momentan alle Berater im Gespräch seien. Es wurde ein konkreter Termin in ca. einer Stunde ausgemacht. Als es schließlich zur Beratung kam, erklärte der Mitarbeiter einige Maschinen sogar direkt am Ausstellungsobjekt. Er wirkte zuvorkommend und professionell, aktiv kam das Thema Freising Kühlmittel GmbH nicht zur Sprache. Die Wirtschaftsdetektive aus München lenkten das Gespräch deshalb in Richtung Gebrauchtgeräte, doch auch dieser Kundenberater gab an, sich in diesem Metier nicht genügend auszukennen. Zwar sei ihm die Firma Freising Kühlmittel bekannt, jedoch wisse er weder Gutes noch Schlechtes über sie zu berichten. Nach dieser Unterredung stellte die Aaden Wirtschaftsdetektei München den Ermittlungsweg Messe ein, um sich der zweiten Variante zu widmen.

Personal Appearance by the Detectives at the Target Company

Implementing investigation tactic B required considerable preparation, because in order to present a credible cover story as an interested buyer of cooling equipment, one that would allow our private detectives from Munich to discuss the topic in depth without arousing suspicion, the investigative team had to build a functional and verifiable scenario. Developing this took about three weeks. In the end, two other investigators than the trade fair visitors visited the target companies by appointment.

 

At Rosenheim Kühlmittel, the detectives were greeted personally by the managing director. They immediately stated that they were looking for a partner to supply cooling equipment, but were still undecided between buying new equipment and purchasing used goods. The managing director was now to convince them that he was the right man for the investigators’ fictitious project. He first highlighted the advantages of his company – which took about thirty minutes. He then moved on to the advantages of new goods over used equipment and quickly made the claim that there were a number of disreputable providers on the market for resold goods.

a

Our economic detectives from Munich naturally took this opening immediately and pinned the conversation down on the issue of “black sheep.” The managing director named two examples known to him in which “supposedly refurbished” goods had “given up the ghost” after a short time. Which supplier had that been, asked Aaden Detectives Munich. Freising Kühlmittel GmbH, was the answer! According to him, the company had a criminal managing director who had been in prison for various frauds and relied on incompetent labor from Eastern Europe as well as improperly sourced replacement parts from Southeast Asia. After refurbishment, these devices were worth less than before – and Freising Kühlmittel GmbH was by no means the only company operating in this way. This market was so dubious and opaque that one would be better off keeping one’s hands off it.

Claims by the Competitor Are Baseless

After the appointment at Rosenheim Kühlmittel GmbH, Aaden Detective Agency Munich carefully checked the managing director’s statements before informing Mr. Bader of the findings. It turned out to be false that Mr. Bader had ever been imprisoned, and he did not employ an unusually high proportion of foreign workers.

 

The appointment at the second target company was uneventful, and no negative remarks were made about the clients of our private detectives from Munich. According to the final findings, the perpetrator field was thus limited to one competitor. Whether there was a specific reason why Freising Kühlmittel GmbH in particular was targeted by the reputational attacks was not determined during the investigation. Afterward, Mr. Bader initiated legal cease-and-desist demands and a claim for damages.

Notice

Note: For reasons of discretion and data protection, the locations and certain personal details have been altered without changing the substance of the actual events.

Social Media as Background Check? Not Always Helpful for Screening Job Applicants.

With the increasing digitalization and interconnection of personal data, it has become easier for large companies and prospective employers to partially carry out a classic task of the Aaden Economic Detective Agency Munich themselves: investigating the backgrounds of applicants beyond their resumes and interviews to safeguard against potential future problems (candidate screening).

 

A few years ago, before Facebook, Instagram, and similar platforms, this would have been almost unthinkable. Previously, companies relied primarily on resumes, personal judgment, and references from prior employers. Today, candidates can sometimes be excluded from the hiring process solely due to compromising online behavior. While online research can prevent hiring, for example, an accountant who frequently parties during sick leave or a secretary who posts disparaging comments about her boss, this preventive measure offers little protection in cases of industrial espionage or other forms of economic crime. Consequently, the workload for our detectives in Munich remains substantial.

56% of Economic Offenses Are Committed by Employees – Often Long-Term Staff

According to the PwC “Global Economic Crime Survey 2014,” conducted with 5,000 companies in 95 countries, more than half of all economic crimes are committed by employees, often long-serving ones; only 40% involve external perpetrators. Unsurprisingly, over half of the surveyed executives fear corruption and bribery within their own ranks the most – and rightly so, as these offenses account for about a quarter of all recorded economic crimes. Globally, the statistics show that in Africa, every second company is knowingly affected by economic crime or has been in the past; followed by North America at 41% (where Aaden Economic Detective Agency is occasionally active), Eastern Europe at 39%, and Western Europe at 35%. Thus, more than one-third of companies in Western Europe have experienced at least one instance of economic crime. The actual numbers are undoubtedly higher. About half of all offenses occur in the financial sector, followed closely by trade and consumer services – both crucial sectors in Bavaria and for our detectives in Munich.

 

The largest share, 69%, of these company-damaging offenses results from disloyalty and embezzlement of corporate property. Too often, these crimes are discovered too late to prevent them. Deploying Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Munich often enables damage control, as court-admissible evidence can lead to claims for compensation.

Up to $100 Million in Annual Damage per Company Due to Economic Crime

Economic offenses such as disloyalty and embezzlement, procurement fraud, bribery and corruption, cybercrime, and accounting fraud cause financial losses of $1 to $100 million for one in five companies. These crimes go far beyond the more frequent, often trivialized offenses like faked sick leave. Beyond financial losses from industrial espionage or other forms of economic crime, employee morale is also at risk: 31% of affected business owners fear a decline in workforce motivation, not to mention negative effects on business relationships and potential long-term damage to professional reputation.

 

Therefore, early deployment of Aaden Commercial Detectives Munich is always advisable—not only to limit damage after the fact but also to detect perpetrators in planning stages and prevent any harm to the company: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Munich Uncovers Spies and Other Offenders

In cases of detected industrial espionage or embezzlement, the work of Aaden Economic Detective Agency Munich often begins simultaneously – or ideally even earlier, triggered by justified suspicion toward an employee. The agency’s detectives monitor the behavior of suspicious staff members and document it in a manner admissible in court. This may include, among other measures, examinations of office computers and desks (for example, in cases of suspected misuse of company resources) as well as surveillance of the individual concerned. These measures help determine whether the suspect is passing internal company information, sensitive data, or material assets to competitors, the press, or other unauthorized third parties.

 

Such was the case at a well-known Bavarian company, where detectives from Aaden Detective Agency Munich, after a week of surveillance, caught a long-trusted employee in flagrante while handing over a USB stick containing confidential company data and sensitive internal structures to a competitor’s employee. The meeting was documented, and the evidence gathered by our economic detectives was so compelling that the employee had no choice but to concede and seek an amicable settlement with his now former employer.

Cybercrime – A New Threat in the 21st Century

Companies can protect themselves not only from fraud, embezzlement, and espionage, but also from cybercrime by engaging Aaden Economic Detective Agency Munich, as approximately one quarter of economic crimes are committed online. Through a wide range of methods (email tracking, implementation of security systems to protect against hackers, viruses, and trojans, as well as IT forensic investigations), disloyal employees and criminal competitors have fewer opportunities to harm a company without consequences.

 

If you have questions regarding the prevention of computer-related crime, the IT specialists at Aaden Detective Agency Munich will be happy to advise you: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de.

Companies Are Not Defenseless – Prevention Is Better Than Remediation

If there is already an initial suspicion, it can be examined through a targeted deployment of our private detectives in Munich, which can play a crucial role in preventing damage to a business. Even disproving a suspicion through the work of our investigators has positive effects – particularly on workplace atmosphere and the internal trust between employer and employees.

 

Fortunately, the PwC study revealed not only the alarming percentages of affected companies mentioned above, but also that 55% of economically motivated crimes are detected and resolved through internal controls – compared to just 36% in 2005. An essential component of these controls is the work of security firms, IT specialists, and detectives such as Aaden Commercial Detective Agency Munich. If, in cases of suspicion, clear court-admissible evidence is lacking due to insufficient proof or compromising statements from third parties, Aaden Detective Agency Munich is always in a position to deploy its economic detectives to investigate the relevant employees or competitors and contribute to resolving the case.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

The private detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich investigate suspected infidelity and, during their surveillance operations, make astonishing discoveries that raise morally complex questions:

Confrontation or Evidence Collection?

The initial suspicion of alleged infidelity by her husband, which prompted Mrs. Sawatzky (name changed), was not unfamiliar to our investigators: she found a flyer for a well-known local sauna club among his personal belongings. This discovery put her in her first internal conflict (others would follow): should she confront her partner directly and risk him talking his way out of the situation with an excuse, leaving her in continued doubt, or should she contact a professional detective agency in Munich to have her suspicions verified? Mrs. Sawatzky chose the latter and contacted our Munich private detectives to arrange an appointment for a consultation.

Target Person Enters Unknown Apartment

The details were quickly coordinated with the client, and surveillance of her husband began the very next day at his workplace, where our detectives from Munich were to pick him up after work and monitor his further activities. Mr. Sawatzky appeared relaxed as he left the building with several colleagues and seemed to be chatting cheerfully with them. He lingered for quite some time, leaning against the car of a male colleague and talking. Eventually, Mr. Sawatzky got into his vehicle and, followed by the detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich, first drove to a supermarket and then into a residential area, where he entered an apartment building. The investigators consulted with the client and asked whether she recognized the address or the names on the doorbell. She denied both.

Hours of Waiting in a Parking Lot

Approximately 20 minutes later, Mr. Sawatzky returned to his vehicle and drove onto the highway, where he made a stop after only a few miles at a small parking area with a restroom. He remained there for nearly ten minutes without leaving his car. Subsequently, the target person of Aaden Detective Agency Munich stopped at a total of six additional parking areas and did not leave his vehicle on any of these occasions. Finally, Mr. Sawatzky arrived at a parking area that our detectives could not follow without immediately attracting attention.

 

As a result, the two deployed investigators positioned themselves at two of the three possible exit routes and conducted regular check drives to determine whether the target vehicle was still on site. This procedure was repeated over a period of more than two hours, during which the car did not move at all. Due to the onset of darkness and the necessity of maintaining distance to avoid being “burned,” no relevant observations could be made regarding Mr. Sawatzky’s activities at or inside the vehicle. During one of the many check drives, the target vehicle had disappeared – apparently via the one of the three possible exits that our two private detectives from Munich were unable to cover. Shortly thereafter, the client informed us that her husband had returned home.

Known Meeting Place for Homosexual Men

The surveillance by Aaden Detective Agency Munich continued the next day, a Friday. Mrs. Sawatzky would not return home from work until after midnight. Once again, the target left his workplace chatting and drove onto the highway, where he again stopped after only a few miles at a parking area near the restroom building. There was heavy traffic from trucks and cars, and visibility for the observers was frequently obstructed. After a few minutes, our Munich detectives noticed that Mr. Sawatzky was not the only person sitting motionless in a car; rather, a number of vehicles had gathered, each occupied by a single male individual. The investigators researched the rest area online and found that it was a known meeting place for homosexual men. However, no clear contact involving the target person could be observed.

Detectives Document Clear Behavior

The journey eventually continued to another parking area adjacent to a wooded area. A similar scene presented itself here. Most of the license plates of the parked single-occupant vehicles were from the surrounding region, but a noticeable number were also from the Czech Republic. Our detectives from Munich suspected that the latter might possibly be prostitutes. Mr. Sawatzky entered the restroom building and returned a few minutes later with another male individual.

 

Afterward, the target person sat in his car again and waited motionless for over an hour until a male individual knocked on the side window. Mr. Sawatzky got out and walked with the man toward the wooded area, where another male individual was standing and was greeted with a handshake. This handshake appeared to involve an exchange, as the private detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich were able to observe using a telephoto lens. The target person and the individual who had knocked on the window went together into the woods, while the third person appeared to be acting as a lookout. After about fifteen minutes, Mr. Sawatzky and his companion returned to the parking area and drove off separately. The target person then drove to a so-called gay club, a sauna club for homosexuals, and remained there until late in the evening before returning home just in time before his wife. The investigation result was therefore clear and was communicated accordingly to Mrs. Sawatzky.

After Certainty: A Moral Dilemma

Following the investigation, the private detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich held numerous discussions with the client, who needed to process her distress and sought someone to talk to. Mr. Sawatzky’s activities do fulfill the factual elements of adultery, but assessing the overall situation presents a moral dilemma. He was a family man with children, grandchildren, and a wife he had loved for 24 years. His homosexuality or bisexuality had remained hidden from him until his late forties, when he discovered a strong attraction to other men. Initially, he tried to suppress this desire, but gradually he had to admit to himself that he could not fight it and that he was no longer heterosexual. Admitting this to himself was already a brutal internal struggle, but how was he ever supposed to tell his still-beloved wife?

 

Mrs. Sawatzky, in turn, showed understanding for this inner conflict of her long-time life partner and now had her own struggle to face: could she forgive him? Was there even anything to forgive? Was her husband guilty in any other sense than that he had lied? Were these lies understandable? How would she herself have acted in his situation? It will likely take months or years before both spouses come to terms with their difficult situation. According to the latest information available to the Aaden detectives from Munich, after lengthy discussions they agreed to continue the marriage with the attempt that Mr. Sawatzky may live out his bisexuality to a limited extent – but only as long as he keeps his wife informed about all sexual contacts and intentions.

Notice

Note: For reasons of discretion and data protection, the locations and certain personal details have been altered without changing the substance of the actual events.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

"Long-Time Client" Requires Assistance from Aaden Detectives

A particularly interesting case of extortion and coercion in business dealings was experienced by the detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich in late summer 2015. Mr. Weiser (name changed) had previously engaged our private detectives for a minor personal matter. As he had been satisfied with our investigative work at the time, he remembered Aaden Detective Agency Munich when one of his employees in a managerial position began to extort him.

New Operations Manager Brings Workforce

The perpetrator, whom we will call Mr. Siegburg, had been given a responsible position in Mr. Weiser’s company at the beginning of the year, as the latter reported during a phone call with our Munich corporate investigators. Mr. Siegburg had primarily prevailed over other applicants because he brought with him a number of new production employees from an Eastern European country. The company grew rapidly and urgently needed new employees to handle large orders. As this is a specialized industry, qualified personnel are difficult to find, which is why the client of Aaden Detective Agency Munich gladly accepted Mr. Siegburg’s offer and hired both him and two dozen of the workers he had recruited.

Lack of Social Skills Leads to Problems

The new production employees performed reasonably satisfactorily, but Mr. Siegburg increasingly stood out due to a lack of competence on the one hand and questionable interpersonal conduct on the other. In endless discussions between Mr. Weiser and Mr. Siegburg, the client of Aaden Detective Agency Munich increasingly gained the impression that he was talking to a wall, as Mr. Siegburg either showed no understanding or simply failed to implement promised and necessary improvements, causing the same issues to arise again and again. When he then went so far as to have an employee of another company dismissed by filing a complaint after she had made a casual remark about the changed working atmosphere in Mr. Weiser’s company, the managing director reached his breaking point. He could not accept such treatment of people.

Demands and Threats Follow Termination

Another of many discussions with Mr. Siegburg took place. He likely expected yet another reprimand regarding his work methods, but instead Mr. Weiser presented him with a termination notice. There was nothing to discuss about it, his decision was final, but they could discuss the terms to ensure an amicable separation. However, Mr. Siegburg had no intention of an amicable resolution, as reported to our private detectives from Munich. Instead, the employee responded to his termination with a series of demands:

 

• no termination,
• a substantial salary increase for himself,
• a company car,
• additional undeclared cash payments,
• a significant wage increase for the employees from Eastern Europe whom he had recruited.

 

The client of Aaden Detective Agency Munich initially thought this was a bad joke, but then Mr. Siegburg presented his leverage: if the demands were not met, production would come to a standstill starting the next day, as none of the Eastern European workers would show up for their shifts – an economic disaster for Mr. Weiser!

Mass Sick Notes Shake the Company

The managing director did not agree to the demands of his audacious employee, but he underestimated his influence over the Eastern European workforce. The next morning, none of the scheduled workers appeared for duty. Every single one had called in sick with the same reason from the same doctor – an outrageous act by Mr. Siegburg, the employees, and above all the physician! The client of our Munich corporate detectives saw his situation slipping away, because if production stopped, he would not only be unable to deliver orders, but would certainly also lose hard-earned customers, as competition in the industry is fierce.

 

Consequently, Mr. Weiser reluctantly agreed to Mr. Siegburg’s demands during another meeting and explicitly stated that he felt coerced and that Mr. Siegburg’s actions constituted at least one criminal offense. The resulting additional costs placed a massive strain on the company’s profit margin. Therefore, this could not be a permanent situation, and after consulting with his attorney, Mr. Weiser contacted Aaden Detective Agency Munich.

Covert Audio Recording – A Sensitive Issue

The attorney had specifically recommended that Mr. Weiser hold another meeting with Mr. Siegburg and secretly record his statements. For this, Mr. Weiser required the assistance of Aaden Detective Agency Munich.

 

Covert audio recordings? These words set off alarm bells for any reputable detective. The spoken word is highly protected in Germany, and covert recordings are almost always illegal. However, Mr. Weiser’s attorney had examined the situation:

 

• What justified the measure? Mr. Weiser had become the victim of a criminal offense.
• Was the measure proportionate? The offense had caused significant financial damage to Mr. Weiser, therefore he had a very strong legitimate interest in its clarification.
• Were there less intrusive means to achieve a similar investigative success? According to all parties involved, there were none.

 

Therefore, the covert audio recording was assessed by the attorney as legal and proportionate.

Termination Yes, But… – New Demand

Before the meeting with the offender in a public restaurant, the Aaden detectives from Munich equipped their client with a recording device concealed within an inconspicuous everyday object. Mr. Siegburg appeared at the appointment and announced that he now wished to separate amicably from his employer, as the accusations of extortion and coercion had become too risky for him. Mr. Weiser knew how difficult the offender’s personal situation had been in recent years, and he had seen no other way out.

 

He had brought the termination document with him; however, it was tied to another condition: a substantial severance payment, to be paid in installments in cash and without invoices. In return, he would gladly assist Mr. Weiser in subsequently getting rid of the Eastern European workers. However, Mr. Weiser assured him that he had no interest in dismissing the workers, as he urgently needed them.

Continued Extortion of the Employer

The client of Aaden Detective Agency Munich accommodated the extortionist to the extent that he agreed in principle to a severance payment, provided that the matter would then be conclusively resolved. He explicitly asked Mr. Siegburg whether he could guarantee that there would be no further sudden work stoppages or other inconveniences if the payment were made. Mr. Siegburg confirmed this, thereby providing very strong evidence for the offense of extortion. Mr. Weiser then asked what would happen if he did not comply with the demands. His counterpart replied: "I have great influence over the Eastern Europeans..." but stated that he wished to part on good terms. Mr. Weiser emphasized that he could not afford to hand over the amount in cash and without documentation. A solution for installment payments could be found, according to Mr. Siegburg.

 

However, even if this were to happen and even if the matter were then concluded for Mr. Siegburg, Mr. Weiser would still have to deal with the consequences of the previous extortion, as he had been forced to grant the Eastern European workers new long-term contracts with completely excessive conditions. Mr. Siegburg claimed that the client of Aaden Detective Agency Munich was to blame himself, as he did not have to comply with the earlier demands. Mr. Weiser firmly rejected this, stating that he had had no other choice if he did not want to risk an immediate production stop and potentially the ruin of his company. What was in the past could no longer be changed, Mr. Siegburg remarked dismissively.

Alleged Agreement Ends Documentation

One of our Munich private detectives sat at a neighboring table during the entire conversation and was therefore able to witness the meeting. Ultimately, the opposing parties agreed that Mr. Siegburg would be placed on immediate leave and that there would be no strikes, dubious sick notes, or mass departures as long as he received his money. The offenses of extortion and coercion against the client of Aaden Detective Agency Munich were thus not only fulfilled but also proven.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

As an employer looking into the services of a detective agency such as Aaden Detective Agency Munich, you have likely been increasingly confronted in recent years with disloyal employees and their misconduct: working time fraud, false sick leave, corporate espionage, bribery, theft, and more continue to cause serious concern. Our business detectives in Munich are regularly called upon to assist in exposing such behavior. Especially in cases like working time fraud, employees often show remarkable creativity—as demonstrated by the following case, which involved not only eccentricity but outright absurd behavior:

No Performance + Obstruction of Colleagues

Karola C. (all names changed) was an employee of a large Munich institute and worked there part-time as a typist. An employee of this institute works from time to time with Aaden Detective Agency Munich and reported this case to our detectives. At first, Karola sat in an office with several male and female colleagues, but due to her socially incompatible behavior toward the other employees she could not remain in that office. To her colleagues, Karola appeared stubborn, argumentative, and incorrigible; her manner was rude, and her work also left much to be desired – in short: an unusable employee for all colleagues. Complaints accordingly came pouring in to management.

 

The institute’s management came to the conclusion that Karola should be given her own small office all to herself – that way she could work without being distracted, and the other employees could go about their work undisturbed. Unfortunately, this solution did not last long either: Karola did not want to sit alone in an office, but wanted company, as our private detectives from Munich were told. For a long time, department head Ms. Schmitt managed to placate her by credibly assuring her that there was currently no vacancy in any department. But after about half a year, she was virtually terrorized by Karola, who ran through the offices every day shouting her displeasure, punctuated by wild curses against the institute’s management in general and against the department head in particular.

No Improvement Despite Transfer | Consultation with Our Detectives from Munich

Karola was then assigned – in accordance with her contract – to work in another department. There she was not employed as a typist, but as a technical assistant, with the same salary. Since she clearly had no idea about the technical side of the tasks required there, all that remained for her were assistance duties as well as tidying and cleaning work. That, in turn, did not suit Karola at all, which is why after a short time she once again started her now notorious “terror tour” through the office building.

 

Department head Mr. Müller informed Ms. Schmitt about the behavior of her former employee, and both then decided to involve the works council and possibly seek external help from the detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich, which led to a consultation at the recommendation of the employee mentioned at the beginning. Since Karola has civil servant status, she is extremely difficult to dismiss. Our Munich detectives would have had to prove serious violations in order for the affected employer to be able to get rid of her, literally. Since this was office work, whose legal monitoring was hardly possible, and since Karola at least kept to her working hours in terms of presence, our investigators saw little chance of success in this case. Aaden Detective Agency Munich therefore recommended that the parties find an internal solution instead.

Exile as a Compromise Solution | No Investigation by Aaden Detectives Munich

The works council, Karola, Ms. Schmitt, and Mr. Müller agreed that Karola would now move into an office space in the archive. In the hope that Karola would decline and perhaps even quit, they offered her the position only as a full-time job. But that was not the case: two years earlier Karola had turned down the offer of a full-time position, but now she accepted. After training by the department head there, Karola was to fill out Excel spreadsheets on the computer as part of the restructuring of the archive and the associated data entry. Actually quite simple: of book A there are 13 copies in stock, of book B there are 40 copies in stock, of PCs there are 58 in use in the building, and so on – entering numbers from handwritten records into a spreadsheet. But even this workplace did not appeal to Karola.

 

Since the archive rooms are far away from all other office areas, a noisy round of roaming as before, her terror tour, was out of the question. Karola resorted to sweet idleness – in the truest sense of the word. Every time the archive department head came into Karola’s office and asked about the progress of the computer-based archiving, Karola told her that she could not get the hang of the Excel spreadsheets and that it would have to be explained to her again in detail. The institute ultimately does not get rid of her, and the detectives of Aaden Detective Agency Munich cannot really help either, but at least she is no longer disturbing the employees who are actually working constructively quite as much.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824