Some time ago, our detective Christopher (name changed) gave an interview to the well-known weekly newspaper Die Zeit as part of a professional profile on the work of private detectives in Germany. Below is a transcript of the article.

Die Zeit Article: “I Investigate Whether a Partner Is Being Unfaithful”

Christopher, 38, switched careers into a detective agency. He monitors employees who steal or lie about working hours. Data protection often complicates his work.
 

The coronavirus changed how and where many people work, and also how much money they earn. Those who are lucky work from home. Freelancers, however, lost assignments and do not know how to pay their rent, while others have no problems. In the series “Bank Statement,” we present people who tell exactly about this: What did Corona mean for my work—and my account? Here, 38-year-old Christopher Sturm, a private investigator at the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne, reports.

My Job

Occupation: I am a detective, and my work involves observing other people. I do this, for example, on behalf of companies that suspect one of their employees is stealing, committing working time fraud, or spying on trade secrets. I also investigate for private clients when someone suspects their partner of being unfaithful or when family members need to be found. During surveillance, I am usually accompanied by a colleague, and we sit in separate cars. Often, hours pass without anything happening, which can be boring. We stay in contact via radio and occasionally make small jokes. I must always remain alert, though, and cannot read messages or watch shows on the side.

 

I have been working at the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne for five years. I originally trained as an aircraft mechanic in the military and later worked in the security industry. Afterwards, I specialised in private and corporate investigations. My colleagues and I are assigned to eight different offices across Germany but can be deployed nationwide. I also often take assignments abroad. These are rarely exotic locations like the Maldives but primarily neighboring European countries.

“The private home is off-limits.”

During the peak of the Corona restrictions, we had significantly fewer assignments and no overseas work. In March and April 2020, our assignments dropped to almost zero. Payments from assignments before the crisis allowed us to maintain 60 percent of our average revenue in March and 35 percent in April. Since May, business has picked up again. Corporate investigations largely involve employee misconduct. Since many employees are on short-time work or working from home, observations are limited. If an employer suspects, for example, that an employee is committing working time fraud while working from home, it is difficult for us to verify. The private home is off-limits; we can only determine when and how often the person leaves the house. Many companies now have smaller budgets and other concerns than hiring detectives.

 

What worries me: Our industry struggles to find qualified newcomers. In addition, the title “detective” is not legally protected. Anyone can become a detective, which I find problematic. I hope the government will regulate this area more strictly. Minimum standards should be ensured, for example regarding data protection. At the same time, data protection also restricts us. Previously, if a man doubted the paternity of a child and wanted a test, we detectives could collect DNA samples from the child. Working within all the data protection regulations is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, I am uncertain about the future security of my profession.

My Income

Gross Income: My income varies month to month depending on my assignments. On average, I earn 2,200 euros gross, excluding bonuses.

 

Net Income: I receive a base salary of 1,500 euros net and an additional performance-related bonus of 400 to 1,500 euros per month, depending on the revenue I generate through my work. During the Corona crisis, I still received the base salary, but additional payments were significantly lower.

 

Other Income: Together with my brother, I inherited an apartment. We receive 950 euros per month from renting it out, which we split.

My Expenses

Rent: My wife and I pay 820 euros per month for our 100-square-meter apartment in a quiet but urban location. This includes utilities and water. Electricity costs around 70 euros per month on top.

 

Groceries: We usually spend over 100 euros for our weekly shopping. If we need something in between, I go to the nearby store.

 

Phone and Internet: The internet connection costs 19.99 euros per month, and my mobile phone contract is 15 euros. I also have a work phone provided by my employer.

 

Subscriptions: We have a Netflix subscription for 11.99 euros per month and a Sky package for 35 euros. We used to subscribe to magazines, but that era is over for me.

 

Sports: If I have the time, I go to the gym several times a week. The membership at McFIT costs me 25 euros per month. The advantage is that the chain also has gyms in other European countries. When I have assignments abroad, I often visit them after work.

Clothing: Shopping is the opposite of fun for me. My clothes should be simple and functional. I do not spend much on them and wear them until they are worn out. I spend around 400 euros per year, approximately 30 euros per month. A new suit costs more, of course, but I have not bought one in a long time.

 

Cosmetics: For toothpaste, deodorant, and face cream, I spend a maximum of 15 euros per month.

 

Travel: My wife and I enjoy travelling, but my work often makes it difficult to find a suitable time. We have been to the United Kingdom many times. We enjoy the excellent landscapes, culture, and people. We always feel comfortable there. However, it is also an expensive destination. When possible, we take two holidays per year, spending 600 to 1,500 euros per person each.

 

Transport: I have my own car, which I also use professionally for surveillance. Insurance costs between 800 and 900 euros per year. Repairs cost 1,000 to 1,500 euros annually. These costs are covered, and in return, I receive a high mileage allowance from my employer, which helps cover many of my expenses.

 

Private Pension: I have a funeral insurance policy that costs 200 euros per year.

 

Savings and Investment: Currently, I do not invest. When gold prices were low, I bought gold and later sold it at a significant profit. During the crisis, it felt too risky. I am waiting to see how the Corona pandemic develops.

 

The Bottom Line: My wife and I have a monthly surplus, which we use for major expenses like holidays and to save. We save between 5,000 and 10,000 euros per year. Our goal is to invest in property at some point. I am satisfied, and we manage well, as long as months like those during the crisis do not occur frequently.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

One in four people in Germany has taken something from their workplace at least once. This was found by the market research company GfK in 2015. Writing utensils, paper, and office and paper clips are the most sought-after items. But what consequences do such thefts by employees have? The following article by Laura Gosemann for Aaden Detective Agency Cologne provides clarification.

Theft as Grounds for Termination

Unless otherwise agreed, any private use of company resources is prohibited. The value of the stolen item does not matter. This means that even printing or copying private documents in the office can be classified as theft and may therefore result in consequences. After all, ink and paper are paid for by the employer. Provided that the relevant evidence is presented, courts see such cases as a lasting disruption of the relationship of trust, meaning that immediate termination can be justified. Even a single offense can lead to a warning or even the loss of employment, as the property of the employer or a colleague is intentionally taken.

 

Even the suspicion of theft by a specific employee is grounds for termination if there are objective facts that make the alleged violation appear likely (termination based on suspicion). In this case, however, the suspect must first be heard in order to respond to the allegations. In addition, terminations based on suspicion are often overturned in court if there is insufficient evidence. This is provided by the team of Aaden Detective Agency Cologne, which is highly experienced in employee monitoring.

Measures Depend on Discretion and Evidence

In practice, employment law consequences for property offenses in the workplace are usually assessed on a case-by-case basis. For example, if it involves a newly hired colleague, even a theft worth five euros may justify termination, as it is hardly possible to establish lasting trust with such a person and continued employment is therefore only reasonable to a limited extent. In contrast, for an employee who has worked for 25 years without incident and is already in their mid-50s, embezzlement of several hundred euros may result only in a warning.

 

There is no obligation to report workplace theft. However, it is generally advisable to sanction thefts appropriately rather than ignore them, as otherwise the wrong signal may be sent to the workforce. For this reason, even minor cases are often handled strictly, and commissioning our Cologne detectives usually already expresses an intention to terminate employment. The fact that a completely different approach can also be taken to resolve such matters, and can be very effective, is demonstrated in the case study linked below.

How Can Companies Prevent Employee Theft?

First of all, it can be stated that bag checks are often counterproductive in many companies, as they tend to demotivate employees and create a negative atmosphere. For example, such practices caused discontent in the United States when temporary workers of the online retailer Amazon went to court because they wanted the waiting time caused by the checks to be compensated as overtime.

 

In the event of suspected theft, there should also be no covert searches of, for example, the employee’s desk, as this would constitute a violation of their personal rights. Accordingly, evidence obtained in this way would have no legal relevance in court in the individual case – it would be inadmissible and could even backfire on the company itself. However, the employee may be asked to open desk drawers in the presence of a supervisor and present the contents. Depending on the situation, our economic investigators from Cologne rely on setting theft traps as well as conducting internal and external surveillance of the suspected employee or the at-risk company property (the latter if the thefts are known but the identity of the perpetrator is not).

Video Installation for Employee Monitoring

Video surveillance of employees is a particularly sensitive issue. There are three different scenarios:

 

• open video surveillance of publicly accessible areas, for example a retail store;

• open video surveillance of non-publicly accessible areas, for example a storage facility;

• covert video surveillance.

Covert video surveillance of employees is only permissible under the strictest conditions. If evidence of theft is obtained through unlawful video surveillance, it is also inadmissible in court. Employers should therefore seek legal advice in advance or consult our Cologne private detectives on the subject of employee checks (info@aaden-detektive.de).

 

As a preventive measure, companies can, for example, keep detailed records of their inventory in order to detect theft at an early stage and investigate it before significant damage occurs. Engaging a detective agency always depends on the individual case, and the credibility of the selected investigative service should always be checked in advance, as many unprofessional detectives are not sufficiently trained in legal matters and may violate the personal rights of the employee under investigation during their work.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Expense and Payroll Fraud in Bonn?

A company from Bonn operating in the medical sector had, based on various complaints from customers and colleagues, a concrete suspicion that a field employee—let us call him Mr. Linnich—was not fulfilling his working time obligations and was additionally committing expense fraud. His primary task was to visit customers in order to promote the company’s products and discuss orders. Our detectives in Bonn* (+49 221 9859 2399) were tasked with surveilling him during the execution of his duties to determine whether he was adequately fulfilling this role.

Inactivity and Attempts at Concealment

The findings of our two-observer detective team in Bonn on the first day of investigation can be summarized quickly: at around 10 a.m., the target person briefly appeared at his front door to collect mail, spoke briefly with a neighbor, and then disappeared back inside. Until the regular end of the workday at 5 p.m., the field employee did not leave the house again.

 

On the second day of surveillance, Mr. Linnich began his work with a five-minute delay and then drove into downtown Bonn, where he successively visited the district court on Wilhelmstraße, a clinic, and a doctor’s office. He then drove to Aachen to conduct another such visit. At first glance, this might appear acceptable; however, the visits, each lasting no more than ten minutes, were not sufficient for meaningful customer consultation. Furthermore, the driving behavior of the target person did not indicate conscientious performance of duties, as Mr. Linnich repeatedly took significant detours and drove aimlessly—clear indications that he was attempting to conceal a lack of work by artificially increasing his mileage. It therefore did not surprise our private detectives in Bonn when the target person returned to his residence as early as 2 p.m. Subsequently, Mr. Linnich engaged in various activities, none of which were work-related: walking his dog, running personal errands, and further aimless driving—an evidently wasted workday.

Deliberate Deception by Hiding the Vehicle

Day three provided our corporate detectives in Bonn with confirmation of the previous findings: Mr. Linnich started work ten minutes late, again drove around apparently without purpose—sometimes in wide circles—made personal purchases along the way, repeatedly stopped in parking lots and remained idle in his vehicle for minutes at a time, only to return to his residence around 11:30 a.m. A few minutes later, the target person set off again and parked the company vehicle in a poorly visible section of a dead-end street, approximately 500 meters from his home. Since discreetly following into the dead-end street was not possible without risking exposure, it was initially unclear what Mr. Linnich was doing there or where he had gone (a subsequent on-foot check revealed the vehicle to be unattended). Further checks led investigators to discover a footpath leading from the dead-end street toward the target person’s residence.

 

The suspicion arose that Mr. Linnich was hiding his vehicle here in case someone from the company decided to check on him during working hours to see whether he was idling at home. This suspicion was reinforced when, at the regular end of the workday, the target person left his residence and walked via the aforementioned footpath to the company vehicle. He then drove around the block a few times before parking the vehicle in front of his home.

Semi-Public Rendezvous During Working Hours

On the fourth and final day of surveillance in this matter, the target person of our detective agency for Bonn visited three clinics or doctor’s offices in the morning, again using the usual detours and never staying longer than eight minutes at each location. However, instead of returning home afterward as usual, Mr. Linnich engaged in activities worth noting. He repeatedly stopped at highway rest areas, making discreet surveillance more difficult for our corporate investigators. In a small village along the A61, the target person spent over half an hour idle in his car, at times even placing his bare feet on the door frame. Eventually, Mr. Linnich drove a few streets further and stopped in front of a single-family home, where he signaled with his lights. A young man then exited the house and entered the passenger side of the company vehicle.

 

Ten minutes later, the two men drove down a small side road leading into a wooded area and parked at the end of the path. Both exited the vehicle and immediately re-entered via the rear seats. Subsequently, our investigators from the corporate detective agency in Bonn were able to clearly observe sexual acts between the two men through the vehicle windows. Only after nearly two hours did both individuals exit the vehicle, relieve themselves near a bush, and then re-enter through the front doors. Mr. Linnich then drove the young man back home and returned to his own residence.

Immediate Termination Due to Overwhelming Evidence

Absenteeism, driving to artificially increase mileage, brief alibi customer visits, personal errands during working hours, concealed parking to deceive potential employer inspections, and car sex while on duty—this target person of our private detective agency in Bonn demonstrated a wide range of violations of his employment contract within just a few days. The immediate termination that followed the court-admissible investigation report was therefore entirely justified.

*Notes*

For reasons of discretion and data protection, the locations of operations and certain personal details have been modified without materially altering the actual events.

 

*Note: All operations of the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne are coordinated by our operations management at our headquarters in Cologne. We maintain a network of qualified, vetted investigators who can be deployed locally within a short time.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Increase In Cases Of Drug-Related Crime Among Youth In NRW

It sounds like the American cult series Breaking Bad: On the evening of Monday, February 6, 2017, two propane gas cylinders exploded in a Cologne basement, catapulting two men out of the house and seriously injuring them; one even lost both hands. It quickly turned out that the alleged “recording studio” of the two men was in fact a drug lab for ecstasy and amphetamines – very similar to the plot of Breaking Bad, where an ordinary chemistry teacher begins secretly producing crystal meth in his basement. Not least due to the popularity of this series and other media productions that normalize or even trivialize drug use, the number of young drug offenders in Cologne and throughout NRW is rising sharply. The development of a mindset in which partying and dancing seem impossible without MDMA or ecstasy is also contributing to the increasing integration of these chemical drugs into the everyday lives of adolescents and, in the worst cases, even children.

 

Our detective agency in Cologne (+49 221 9859 2399) is also seeing a growing number of requests for surveillance of adolescents who are suspected by their parents or other guardians of regularly using and or selling drugs.

Cannabis As A Gateway Drug – One In Twelve Adolescents Uses It

Both with legal intoxicants and stimulants such as alcohol and medications, and with illegal drugs such as cannabis, opiates, and various chemical substances, city and district statistics in NRW show that more and more young people are being introduced to these substances at an early age. The Cologne addiction report for 2016 shows that one in twelve individuals aged 12 to 17 uses cannabis, while among those over 18 it is even one in six. This represents a slight increase for children and adolescents compared to previous representative studies conducted by the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZfgA).

 

Many parents’ fears that their children may be using drugs such as cannabis or even more dangerous substances are therefore not unfounded. This is also reflected in the increasing number of municipal counseling services, including the establishment of drug counseling centers in schools and youth centers. Since cannabis is considered a gateway drug, our detectives in Cologne are always on alert when heavy cannabis use is detected among the teenagers under surveillance. For many, the threshold to using harder drugs is quickly crossed as marijuana becomes normalized in everyday life, often shifting attention toward far more dangerous substances.

Cologne Cityscape: Alarmingly Large Proportion Of Drug Users Under 20

Cologne’s Neumarkt, the adjacent Josef-Haubrich-Hof, and several other hotspot locations are notorious among residents for the drug excesses that take place there: addicts injecting heroin in public and simply discarding syringes on the ground; minors consuming alcohol and marijuana; shady individuals openly offering their selection of pills and powders to passersby. Residents and parents of teenagers and children alike are concerned about the moral decline in Cologne’s city center and the negative influence of the wrong friends. In many cases, parents of rebellious teenagers have no choice but to commission our private detective agency in Cologne to observe their children during nighttime activities. This is hardly surprising, as 24 percent of cannabis users are under the age of 20. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger warns: “Young people in particular are affected by consequences such as mental illness and social decline.”

 

Contrary to trends in other major cities, the consumption of one of the most dangerous drugs on the market is continuing to rise in Cologne – heroin. The head of the public health department attributes this development to the easy availability of the drug in the Rhine metropolis. Although heroin use is far less widespread than alcohol and marijuana, its consequences and addictive potential are significantly more severe. If parents notice signs of drug use in their children, they should not hesitate to address the issue, as there is a risk of rapid addiction development. If discussions between parents and child or even counseling by a psychotherapist do not lead to clear results, the use of our experienced private detectives in Cologne may be advisable. The Aaden Detective Agency Cologne examines suspicions through surveillance of the adolescent after school or in the evening among friends in order to determine whether the suspicion is confirmed or whether an all-clear can be given.

Signs Of Drug Use | Help From Detectives

Does your child often stay out late with friends and return home noticeably changed – apathetic, absent, dreamy – and with slightly swollen red eyes? Do you find rolling papers and filters in your son’s or daughter’s room even though they do not smoke hand-rolled cigarettes? Have you noticed that drugs are used regularly or at least occasionally within your child’s circle of friends and that certain individuals stand out due to their drug use? If alarm bells are ringing, you should first speak openly with your child and make it clear that they will not face punishment if they are honest and work with you to address the problem. However, if your child shuts down, contradicts themselves, appears caught off guard, or reacts angrily, your suspicion is unlikely to be eased. In such a case, the investigators of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne can become active and observe your child during nighttime activities to provide you with certainty.

 

Through a telephone consultation or a personal meeting, an investigation plan tailored to your needs will be developed to provide clarity. Feel free to contact us with any questions or to commission our services at any time during our business hours (Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) at the following number: +49 221 9859 2399.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

13 years of marriage, three children, a home of their own – and then the suspicion: infidelity.

Mr. Hürth left the house every morning at around 08:45 to drive to his nearby workplace and begin his shift there. His wife was a homemaker. One day, he learned from a colleague that during her lunch break she had seen Mrs. Hürth on the street in the company of a man. The colleague waved at Mrs. Hürth, but the future client’s wife demonstratively looked away and pulled her companion in the opposite direction. The colleague had always gotten along well with Mrs. Hürth, which made this behavior seem unusual. Mr. Hürth initially assumed a simple explanation, for example that his wife had simply not noticed the colleague. However, when he asked her about the incident after work, Mrs. Hürth denied having left the house at all that day, let alone having met a man. The vehemence of this denial displeased Mr. Hürth, and so he decided to keep an eye on the matter.

 

A few days later, he casually asked a neighbor in conversation whether he had seen his wife recently. Yes, of course – every morning when she goes shopping! was the gist of the reply. That his wife supposedly went shopping every morning was completely new to Mr. Hürth, as the family usually did their weekly shopping together, and if small items were needed in between, Mr. Hürth usually picked them up on his way home. If his wife were actually shopping every day, he should have noticed it from the food supplies. The client of our private detective agency in Aachen continued to play detective himself and, over the following days, cautiously asked his children whether their mom always prepared something nice for lunch when they came home from school. All three confirmed this. Since the youngest child came home from school at around 12:15 on three out of four weekdays, Mrs. Hürth had about 2.5 hours each day for her “shopping,” or closer to 2 hours when allowing for a buffer. After his own inquiries, Mr. Hürth became quite interested in what she was doing during this time and therefore hired our private detectives in Aachen (+49 221 9859 2399) to observe the woman.

Preliminary Analysis: Difficult Surveillance Environment

Before beginning the surveillance, one of our experts conducted a reconnaissance of the observation area in order to create an operational plan. The Hürth family home was located in an upscale residential area in the Aachen district of Laurensberg. The access roads were narrow, and the property itself was situated at the end of a cul-de-sac. In addition, according to the client, there were several very attentive neighbors in the vicinity. None of these were ideal surveillance conditions. In order to maintain good prospects of success under these circumstances, three of our Aachen detectives had to be deployed simultaneously, as positioning directly in the immediate vicinity of the property was not possible, and all three exit routes in the wider area had to be covered.

 

The first day of surveillance was rather uneventful, as Mrs. Hürth only took the family dog for a half-hour walk and was not seen again afterward. The attentiveness of the neighbors mentioned by the client was clearly evident, as every passing unfamiliar vehicle attracted skeptical looks. When the children arrived, our corporate investigators from Aachen temporarily discontinued the observation in order to resume it the next day.

Sauna Visit with an Unknown Man

After no further activities were observed on the second day of surveillance beyond walking the dog, Mr. Hürth and the operations center of our corporate detective agency for Aachen decided not to observe the target person in the morning but rather in the evening during a short-notice sauna visit, which, according to the client, she had been taking regularly one to three times per week for several years. Mr. Hürth himself does not like saunas, as he tends to experience circulatory problems. Thus, his wife attended the sauna alone – an ideal opportunity for infidelity, if one were so inclined.

 

Indeed, the target person drove to the Carolus Thermen early in the evening, from where she initially went to the city park and enjoyed the sun on a park bench (the surveillance took place in early fall). After a good quarter of an hour, Mrs. Hürth waved to an unknown man who approached her. The two greeted each other with a warm embrace; whether further affection was exchanged could not be determined by our detectives for Aachen, as they had to remain at a greater distance in order not to attract attention, while the target person was obviously looking around the park as if waiting. After the greeting, both individuals entered the Carolus Thermen and went to the sauna area. Two of our investigators, one male and one female, followed them under the simple and inconspicuous cover story of being a “couple,” while the third observer kept the target vehicle under control so that the detective team would not be caught off guard in the event of a sudden departure.

Conversations in the Sauna and a Secluded Parking Lot

Thanks to the cover story, our two private detectives were able to follow the targets inconspicuously inside the facility. At first, only fragments of conversation could be overheard due to background noise, mainly from other guests. However, over the course of their stay, Mrs. Hürth and her companion grew closer, and the number of other visitors decreased, allowing relevant information to be gathered. For example, the client’s wife stated: “I can’t hold out for another three years …” The targets were apparently making plans for a shared future, with the companion appearing more cautious and Mrs. Hürth acting as the driving force.

 

Before leaving the facility, the targets cooled off in a swimming pool and exchanged several intimate kisses. The investigators had seen enough: they left the facility in order to remain inconspicuous and observe whether the targets would engage in further joint activities. Later, both exited the building and walked to the parking lot, where the lover’s Mercedes was parked directly next to the woman’s car. They drove off in separate vehicles but headed to the same destination: a secluded parking lot near the highway. There, they parked in the farthest corner, got out, and then both got into the back seat of the Mercedes. At first, it was not possible to see what they were doing inside the vehicle due to the darkness – although it did not require much imagination to guess. After more than an hour, they finally opened a car door, which automatically turned on the interior light. Our detectives in Aachen were thus able to document further kisses. Shortly thereafter, both got out, shared another intimate moment, and then drove away separately.

Romantic Getaway and a Double Life

Mr. Hürth was, of course, deeply shaken by the findings of this day of surveillance. He wanted even more information through additional operations. The central question for him was: how serious was this affair, and how long had he been deceived? To clarify the situation further, several additional operations were carried out. At times, there was nothing relevant for our detective agency in Aachen to document, but on several occasions, further meetings between Mrs. Hürth and her lover took place. In the sauna, the two followed the same routine each time, as if they had been doing so for years. On one occasion, they even had the audacity to meet at the Hürth family home, where the lover picked up his partner in his car to drive together to a wellness hotel for a short vacation. Mrs. Hürth had previously told her husband that she was going to stay with her sister for a few days because she was not feeling well.

 

Among the relevant observed activities during the hotel stay were shared restaurant visits, conversations about family trees, families and children, a bike ride, and of course numerous instances of holding hands, embracing, and kissing. At the latest after this short vacation, it was fully evident – also based on the conversations between the two targets – that the relationship had existed for quite some time and that both partners were being systematically deceived. The long-term plan was to divorce and then live together, but for that, the children would first have to grow older. Thus, the two lovers planned to deceive their partners for several more years before eventually separating. Mr. Hürth could not live with this ruthless double life and, after the conclusion of our private detectives’ investigation in Aachen, separated from his wife and applied for custody and the right to determine the children’s residence.

*Notice*

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

 

*Note: All operations of Aaden Detective Agency Cologne are handled by our operations management at our headquarters in Cologne. We have a network of qualified, certified investigators who can be deployed on site within a short time.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Real Detectives: Little Action, High Value

When people think of detectives, most imagine a figure like the literary classic Sherlock Holmes or the investigator Thomas Magnum, played by Tom Selleck, from the television series Magnum. They often also picture the matching light brown trench coat, a hip flask in the breast pocket, and perhaps even a tobacco pipe in the corner of the mouth. They think less of meticulous and detailed investigative work and more of smoky back-office rooms, action-packed chase scenes, and explosive showdowns. The work of real detectives like those in our detective agency from Cologne (+49 221 9859 2399) is often less spectacular, but in terms of social relevance it is in no way inferior to its television counterparts:

 

Private and corporate detectives step in when there is suspicion of corruption, data theft, copyright infringement, illegal price-fixing agreements, continued wage payment fraud, and many other criminal offenses that benefit a few while harming many. This means that the work of professional corporate detective agencies has the potential not only to help companies but also to expose criminals who harm society.

Discretion and Admissibility in Court

Do you remember when illegal price-fixing agreements among several major companies were uncovered in May of this year? Lidl, Rossmann, Edeka, Metro, Netto, and Kaufland – each of these corporations had to pay fines to the Federal Cartel Office following successful investigations. Investigators like our detectives from Cologne are often involved in such inquiries. Detective agencies are often more efficient and faster than chronically overburdened authorities. Since we are subject to far fewer bureaucratic hurdles than official investigators, we can also guarantee a higher level of discretion in order not to unnecessarily jeopardize relationships with business partners and employees. We provide evidence admissible in court by conducting investigations through a well-developed network of contacts, interviewing individuals, carrying out surveillance, and meticulously analyzing files and incriminating documents.

 

In terms of excitement, the methods of real detectives can rarely compete with those of their television counterparts. However, when it comes to social relevance, real detective agencies can easily match any investigator from a crime series, provided they are not saving the world on screen. Offenses such as illegal employment, fraudulent sick leave, or expense report fraud cause damages of several hundred million euros every year—not only to companies but to every taxpayer. Our corporate detective agency in Cologne actively helps to limit this damage: info@aaden-detektive.de.

Intervention and Prevention | Creating Awareness of Professionalism

The work of private investigators is not only interventionist but also preventive, for example through the analysis of security gaps, the installation of video surveillance cameras, the protection of IT structures, or the prevention of subsequent offenses by identifying the original perpetrators. Above all, our Cologne corporate detectives provide discreet clarity; we bring hidden matters to light quickly and reliably.

 

The success of this work can also be seen in industries that are traditionally considered difficult or even disreputable. Companies such as Amazon or Hermes have, following the successes of private investigators and investigative journalists, publicly committed themselves to proper conduct. Sports betting and online casino providers such as Betway now openly promote cooperation with commissions and regulatory authorities. This demonstrates how investigative work consistently encourages companies to integrate socially responsible behavior into their operations. These are the societal responsibilities that our private detectives from Cologne take on with dedication every day.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

With a Stomach and Intestinal Illness on the Soccer Field?

A company from Leverkusen had employed an electrician, Mr. Erkelenz, for three years, and during that time he had managed to accumulate sixteen sick notes, usually involving longer periods of absence. When the managing director googled the name of this perpetually ill employee, he was quite astonished, because he found this person rather high up in the top scorers list of a Cologne district league division. If the man was sick so often, how could he first of all be fit enough to score so many goals, and secondly, when was he actually playing? Another alarming clue emerged for the latter question: despite an alleged acute gastrointestinal illness and the corresponding sick note, the electrician had been listed as a goalscorer in an online match report from the previous weekend.

 

The suspicion of a feigned illness was very strong, and so the company engaged our detective agency in Leverkusen* (+49 221 9859 2399) to investigate the suspicious employee.

Dangers of Short Detective Deployment Windows

At the time our corporate detectives in Leverkusen were commissioned, Mr. Erkelenz was still on sick leave, which meant that the first surveillance operation could be arranged immediately. In order to keep detective fees low and make the observation as efficient as possible, our investigators were supposed to show up at the target person’s home address only in the afternoon around 4:00 p.m. After all, the commissioning management had a very specific suspicion that Mr. Erkelenz might go to football training on one or more weekdays – and for men’s teams, due to the players’ working hours, this usually takes place only in the early evening. While the idea of beginning surveillance only in the afternoon on the basis of these factors is certainly clever, our detectives in Leverkusen pointed out a related risk to management: if the target person had already left the house earlier in the day to run errands, visit friends, or even pursue a secret second job while unfit for work, no initial observation at his home address would be possible. The investigation would then be for naught, and detective costs would be incurred without any direct benefit for the client.

 

Since in this specific case there was at least still the possibility that one of our two deployed observers might occasionally drive past the football pitch to check whether training had already begun, the risk was somewhat limited. What this somewhat unusual deployment time and investigative tactic did not cover, however, was the possibility mentioned above of a side job. In this context, Aaden Corporate Detective Agency for Leverkusen always points out to its clients that, especially in personnel checks, one should not save money in the wrong place, since detective costs are reimbursable provided that the effort is proportionate to the suspicion and the offense, and of course provided that the employee has been proven guilty in a court-admissible manner. If the deployment times are chosen too conservatively, the investigators may miss crucial observations simply because they were sent to the right place at the wrong time.

Suspicious Driving Behavior of the Target Person

In this case, our private detectives in Leverkusen and thus also their clients were fortunate, because Mr. Erkelenz actually left the house around half past six in the evening and got into his car. His clothing: a Fortuna Düsseldorf jersey, short training shorts, and running shoes, plus a sports bag over his shoulder and a water bottle in his hand. Although our detective team in Leverkusen could exclude with 100% certainty having been seen by the target person, he immediately began heavily “shaking” them off after setting off, meaning that Mr. Erkelenz drove various maneuvers to check whether he was being followed; these included U-turns, driving into dead-end streets, taking side streets and detours instead of the much faster direct route via the main road, and deliberately stopping to let vehicles behind him pass. The electrician therefore put quite a strain on our two corporate investigators in Leverkusen, yet they still managed to follow the suspect all the way to the football pitch.

 

Mr. Erkelenz entered the clubhouse with the changing rooms and started training a few minutes later. He behaved very conspicuously, repeatedly going to the fence and scanning the surrounding area. Fortunately, our observers had chosen a concealed position about 300 meters away, from which they could document the activity with telephoto lenses without being seen themselves. After training ended, our private detective agency in Leverkusen did not continue following the target person in order to maintain discretion, but instead ended the surveillance.

Court-Admissible Evidence Documentation by Our Detective Agency

On two further deployment days in the same week, different investigators observed similar events: on the first occasion, Mr. Erkelenz again drove to training; on the second assignment, he played a league match and remained on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. That a feigned illness, namely sick note fraud, was at play here was therefore obvious. At the clients’ request, our detective agency in Leverkusen ended its work and handed the affected company a court-admissible investigative report for further use.

*Notice*

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

 

*Note: All operations of Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne are handled by our operations management at our headquarters in Cologne. We maintain a network of qualified, vetted investigators who can be deployed on site for you at short notice.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Increasing numbers of professional sectors affected and harmed by kick-back/cash-back deals

Although the term kick-back (or alternatively cash-back) may seem modern and contemporary due to its English phrasing, this type of fraud has long been part of investigative work in Germany. It is a form of corruption involving three parties, where one or two participants benefit at the expense of the third. Our detectives in Cologne attempt below to define the term and describe three different methods using case examples.

 

Kick-back schemes can now be found in many everyday and professional contexts, which is why the public should be educated to prevent unsuspecting citizens from being deceived and exploited for years by trusted figures such as investment advisors or family doctors. The Aaden Detective Agency Cologne deals with clarifying particularly serious cases in the private and business sectors and encounters increasingly outrageous forms of kick-back fraud.

Kick-Back Fraud in Medical Consultations

The medical profession deals with patients’ mental and physical health and therefore relies heavily on trust. People who have been under the care of their doctor for years often trust them more than some relatives or friends, due to physical proximity and knowledge of sometimes sensitive secrets. This trust, however, is all too often exploited to gain financial advantage, as our Cologne detectives report from their assignments. How does this occur exactly? The doctor refers their patient to a specialist, such as an orthodontist, after a thorough general medical examination, because the patient presumably suffers severe headaches from nighttime teeth grinding. There would be nothing fraudulent if the referral were open and not regularly directed to the same specialist.

 

The deceitful general practitioner receives a commission from the specialist for each patient referred and lets the patient believe that Doctor X is the most suitable orthodontist. What is violated here is the legally mandated free choice of doctor, which every patient is entitled to. Furthermore, the obvious conflict of interest is clear: the referring doctor is more concerned with their commission than their medical duty, which might include a more appropriate referral to a specialist in headache-related orthodontics. Ultimately, the patient suffers: through bribed referrals, they end up with a less competent, unfriendly, and/or less specialised doctor and receive inferior medical advice. If this applies to you, our private detectives in Cologne and the surrounding area can assist in exposing the fraudulent doctor: +49 221 9859 2399.

Kick-Back/Cash-Back in the Real Estate Sector

Much greater financial damage than a corrupt doctor’s referral can occur in real estate, where the affected party often suffers losses of tens of thousands of euros and accumulates an almost unpayable debt burden because they trusted the wrong people and paid unscrupulous agents or brokers far too high a purchase price. For example, our business detectives in Cologne report a recent case in which a client, despite serious liquidity problems, seized a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to buy a house for their family. A particular property caught their attention, which included a promise that part of the purchase price would be returned in cash, providing temporary liquidity. The catch: the property was significantly overpriced. The offer enticed the buyer with 100% bank financing, meaning no personal capital investment, and a partial immediate repayment of the loan upon purchase. In short, it provided temporary capital to financially struggling people but ultimately created even larger long-term debt.

 

The fraudulent broker returned the apparently generous portion of the purchase price (kick-back/cash-back) to the buyer while retaining their commission and most of the surplus from the actual and contractual purchase price. The buyer appeared pleased with the suddenly received 25,000 €, without realising they had bought a property approximately 50% overvalued, indebting themselves and their family, and effectively financed the “returned” money through the new bank loan. While the banks are often the primary financial victims due to false property valuations submitted by the broker, this fraud also drags private individuals, like the client described to the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne, into a debt spiral. Our detectives were able to locate the fraudulent broker and five other affected families and recover at least part of the debts from the broker.

Kick-Back Fraud in Banking Investments

Kick-back schemes may be most familiar to the average citizen through banking transactions, as a large portion of this fraud occurs there, albeit often secretly: bank employees and investment advisors encourage clients to invest with secretly cooperating partners, irrespective of financial or personal risk, because they, like the doctors mentioned above, receive commissions for new investors and prioritise their own financial gain over safe and sensible investments for their clients. For bank customers, this often involves substantial sums, not small amounts, and poor advice can quickly lead to loss of thousands of euros. German case law now requires (Federal Court of Justice ruling of 29.06.2010 – XI ZR 308/09) that all financial cooperation or incentives (e.g., issue premiums, one-time rebates, ongoing commissions) be disclosed, so clients can assess potential conflicts of interest and decide whether to invest with the advisor’s partner.

 

Our Cologne private detectives know that in most cases these arrangements continue unofficially, as disclosure would deter clients from investing, since all forms of cooperation inherently carry partiality and the perception of less professional advice from the investment expert.

Private Detectives in Cologne Assist with Clarification

Regardless of which of the above or other types of kick-back schemes affect you (personally or your company), the private and business detectives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne are always ready and able to take on your case, assist with full clarification, and help recover potential compensation. If you have been the victim of fraudulent investment advisors or real estate brokers, you are legally entitled to compensation equal to your loss, which often can only be recovered with the help of detectives. Particularly when perpetrators act professionally and repeatedly harm their victims, it is often easier than expected for our experienced investigators to catch them: for instance, our business detectives in Cologne can locate additional victims who may testify in your court case, increasing your chances of success. Evidence can also be gathered in court-admissible ways, such as through setting traps for the perpetrators, clearly proving the guilt of brokers, intermediaries, or investment advisors.

 

It is important to know that for investment-related claims, the law allows a maximum of three years from the point of damage awareness, and no later than ten years after the investment, although in certain cases the Federal Court of Justice extends this period to up to 30 years after the transaction or property purchase if fraudulent deception is proven. Do not hesitate to contact our Cologne detective agency for a free consultation on the next steps: info@aaden-detektive.de.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Inventory Discrepancies Due to Employee Theft

A beverage wholesaler from the Rhineland had been struggling with significant inventory discrepancies for over a year. Since the company did not operate any retail or warehouse sales but exclusively handled deliveries, and there were no signs of break-ins at the company premises, it was reasonable to conclude that one of the employees must be responsible for the missing inventory. Various indications pointed to a specific delivery driver, Mr. Wiehl. The detectives of the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne were tasked with surveilling this target person during his delivery routes and determining whether he adhered to the route plan, actually delivered the specified quantities ordered by customers, and did not misappropriate any goods.

Surveillance During Delivery Route

After consultation with the client, review of the route plans for the coming week, and assessment of the local conditions, our observers positioned themselves on a Monday morning to monitor the target person Wiehl. Until early afternoon, the delivery driver appeared to fulfill his duties properly and worked through his customer list. The exact number of unloaded beverages could usually not be verified by our Cologne detectives, as the delivery vehicle was always positioned very close to the customers’ buildings with the tailgate lowered.

 

When the target person completed his final stop and was on the road back to the client company, our corporate detectives from Cologne already expected the operation to conclude shortly. However, the delivery vehicle unexpectedly turned into a narrow dead-end street with private homes and garages. To avoid drawing attention in the confined space, the observers parked their vehicles at a distance and approached on foot to maintain visual contact with the target vehicle, which was parked at a garage. The garage door was open, and the rear of the transporter was accessible. Using a hand truck, Mr. Wiehl and an unknown male moved beverage crates from the delivery vehicle into the garage. After approximately 30 minutes, the two men finished their activity and parted ways. The unknown individual entered a neighboring residence, while Mr. Wiehl returned to the beverage wholesaler and parked his company vehicle there. After consulting with the client, one of the Aaden detectives Cologne ended surveillance for that day, while his colleague continued observing the garage to determine whether the stored goods would be sold or transported further.

What Happens to the Stolen Goods?

On the second day of surveillance, our private detectives from Cologne already observed deviations from the route during the delivery: three addresses were visited and apparently supplied that were not on the list. Additionally, at the end of his shift, Mr. Wiehl appeared to take a half-hour break at his private residence before returning to his employer and clocking out. This raised further suspicion of time theft.

 

One of our Cologne corporate detectives went to the garage after the target person returned to the company. However, no further activity was observed that day, so surveillance of the garage was scheduled for Wednesday, when Mr. Wiehl had a day off. In the morning, the unknown male appeared, opened the garage, and began performing manual work. Under an appropriate pretext, our detective from Cologne approached and looked inside the garage: all beverages were gone. Therefore, since Monday, the goods must have been resold, transported, or—given the quantity, highly unlikely—consumed.

70 Crates of Beverages in a Single Day

On the following Thursday, two investigators from the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne again surveilled the target person during his delivery route. Once again, stops were made that were not part of the official route plan. As the deliveries came to an end, the detective team split up as before: one observer continued following Mr. Wiehl, while the other kept the garage under observation. The two investigators soon reunited, as only a few minutes after the unknown male appeared at the garage, Mr. Wiehl’s delivery vehicle also entered the dead-end street. As on Monday, the two perpetrators unloaded approximately 70 beverage crates as well as various cartons of wine and spirits into the garage. Afterward, both left the scene, while the Aaden detectives Cologne remained to determine what would happen to the stolen goods.

Apparently Commercial Trade in Stolen Goods

From early afternoon onward, various vehicles began arriving at the garage. Each time, the unknown male appeared, unlocked the garage, and loaded beverages into the trunks in exchange for cash payments. One observer followed the buyers each time – all appeared to live within a few kilometers. The quantities purchased ranged between five and twelve crates or cartons.

 

On Friday, the existing evidence was further substantiated by additional observations, during which Mr. Wiehl and his accomplice once again unloaded beverages belonging to the client company into the garage. After the delivery route ended, our corporate detectives from Cologne revealed their findings:

Confrontation of the Target Person by the Detectives

After work, Mr. Wiehl was asked by his superiors to come to an office at the company location. There, three Aaden detectives Cologne were already waiting, asked him to sit down, and presented the investigation reports and photographic evidence from the past days. After an initial shocked silence and after our investigators informed him that his only chance of avoiding criminal prosecution was to cooperate with our private detectives, Mr. Wiehl confessed: for over two years, he had regularly stolen beverages, initially in small quantities, but as these went unnoticed, he escalated the scale. Within a few months, he had partnered with his accomplice, whose identity he disclosed, and together they sold the stolen goods commercially to informed friends and acquaintances.

 

He estimated the total value of the stolen goods at €220,000.

Termination Agreement and Notarized Acknowledgment of Debt

In coordination with the affected company, the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne proposed to Mr. Wiehl that criminal charges would be waived if he signed an immediate termination agreement for his employment and a notarized acknowledgment of debt with a repayment agreement. Without hesitation, he agreed and immediately accompanied the detectives to a previously informed notary to certify the documents.

 

Following the signed confession, Mr. Wiehl summoned his accomplice to the garage under a pretext. Upon arrival, the individual opened the garage to receive further (previously promised) deliveries from the target person. The accomplice was visibly surprised when our Cologne investigators appeared and identified themselves as detectives. It took less than two minutes for him to agree to sign the acknowledgment of debt, provide the names and addresses of three primary buyers, and accompany two witnesses to the notary. Before that, the remaining stolen goods in the garage were secured, although these were only the remnants of the beverages unloaded earlier that day—an indication of the scale at which stolen goods had apparently been sold on a daily basis. Further claims against the buyers were initiated through legal counsel.

Note

Note: For reasons of discretion and data protection, the locations of operations and certain personal details have been modified without materially altering the actual events.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

In Part 1 of this article, you received background information on the investigations conducted by the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne in this case, as well as an account of the first steps of our research. Below, you will learn how the matter turned out.

Meeting with the Suspected Tax Advisor

Our detective from Cologne was received very warmly by the tax advisor and his wife, apparently without any reservations or guilty conscience. The wife stated that she had been friends with Ms. Anders and that her husband had therefore helped the deceased with her tax matters. That had supposedly begun around 2011. The tax advisor confirmed that previous tax returns did indeed reveal a considerable earlier level of wealth on the part of the deceased. However, hardly anything of it remained by the time he first gained access in 2011. Ms. Anders had spoken several times about an account in the Benelux region, but according to the tax advisor, “in my time” nothing was left there.

 

She had already lost her job years earlier and therefore no longer had any income of her own. When our Cologne private detective asked about the reason for the significant reduction in assets, the tax advisor mentioned obvious psychological problems in Ms. Anders. She had often behaved paranoically, tended toward spontaneous outbursts of anger, and handled her finances in a completely irresponsible manner; among other things, she had invested enormous sums in a “legal” pyramid scheme (tax advisor: “fool’s bait”) and lost almost the entire investment. He also hinted at an alcohol problem, but did not want to elaborate further, as he did not know Ms. Anders that well — these questions would have to be answered by his wife. However, she had already driven to work during our private investigator’s visit from Cologne.

Meeting with the Former Employer

An investigator from the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne visited the former employer of Ms. Anders. When he explained who the conversation was about, the businessman sighed and invited the detective into his office. Ms. Anders had worked for him for many years, but at some point her behavior changed so drastically — she became insulting toward him, her colleagues, and customers — that he could no longer employ her without endangering the reputation of his business. In addition, dubious men constantly appeared at the company to pick her up. She greeted most of them by kissing them on the mouth.

 

When the employer dismissed her, she threatened to make numerous “completely fabricated” accusations public, he told our Cologne detective. They even saw each other again in court, but the hearing was over in less than five minutes. Ms. Anders clearly had psychological problems, and this had not escaped the judge’s notice. What exactly those problems were and what the accusations against him were based on, the businessman kept extremely vague — it was obviously a very uncomfortable topic for him.

Another Contact Person Opens Up New Perspectives

The Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne researched the contact details of another person with whom Ms. Anders, according to her calendar, had met very regularly. That person readily agreed to a meeting and said that she had been the closest and, in all likelihood, the only friend of the deceased in recent years. No one else had been able to tolerate Ms. Anders for long, as she “kept flipping out” and could be very hurtful. In addition, the conversations almost always revolved around sex and were very suggestive. From the conversation with this friend, our private detectives were able to extract several crucial clues, which allowed the puzzle pieces already gathered to form a coherent overall picture.

Financing of the Sister’s “Luxury Estate”

First, the friend explained to our Cologne detective that Ms. Bungert’s sister had never been excessively wealthy and had clearly overextended herself with the house construction together with her husband. She knew this because the sister had indeed, as Ms. Bungert suspected, regularly asked the mother for money, but aside from one single occasion she had not been able to give her anything because she was “too busy with herself.” On that one occasion, a gift of around €15,000 prevented the forced sale of the well-known property — but that was long before Ms. Anders’ death. The house purchase and loan were concluded immediately before the real estate bubble burst in the summer of 2007. As a result, all preliminary calculations became obsolete, yet they remained bound by fixed contracts that were now overpriced.

Promiscuity and Drug Addiction

The detective from the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne asked the friend whether she knew how all the money that had once belonged to the deceased had disappeared. She was not certain, but believed it was a combination of bad investments (“pipe dreams”), poor choices in men, and alcohol and drug addiction. The investigator, for whom at least the last piece of information was completely new, asked for further explanation: Ms. Anders had shown signs of sex addiction and had constantly slept with different men, whom she also supported financially, so these “male affairs” alone must have consumed a great deal of money.

 

Through “one of those guys,” she had gotten into drugs and slid from crack to crystal meth. In addition, she had always had problems with alcohol, taken sleeping pills, and to combat her anxiety attacks, which had arisen from drug use, she had also taken psychotropic medication “like Smarties.” Several stays in clinics had brought no improvement. After the conversation, the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne researched whether such stays had actually taken place. The fact that this could be confirmed reinforced the credibility of the statements made by the interviewed friend.

Delusions and Fines

She also reported that there had always been vast quantities of empty bottles in Ms. Anders’ apartment. She directly attributed the deceased’s premature death in her early fifties to her addictive behavior: “That ruined her!” In addition, her alcohol and drug problems were certainly the reason for losing her job. Ms. Anders had also later claimed several times that her boss had sexually harassed her — which may have been the reason why he remained so guarded in the conversation with our Cologne corporate detective. The interviewee described these claims as “delusions.”

 

According to the friend, there had in fact been money in the Benelux countries, namely in Luxembourg. However, withdrawals had long since exhausted everything by the time Ms. Anders died. She also had to pay high fines several times for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or without a driver’s license — this statement could also be confirmed by the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne in its follow-up research.

Termination of the Investigation for Reasons of Respect

At this stage of the investigation, a meeting took place between Ms. Bungert and the Aaden detectives Cologne so that the client could be informed of the findings so far and shown further possibilities for research. She asked a few questions and then requested some time to think about how she should deal with the results obtained so far.

 

The next day, she called the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne and said that she thanked the investigators for their work, but did not want any deeper digging, as she would rather remember her mother as the person she had known from childhood. Ms. Bungert feared further unpleasant revelations that would probably not have brought any benefit in terms of financial gain, but could have caused further damage to the memory of the deceased.

Note

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

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Concealed Inheritance?

Ms Bungert (all names changed), a client of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne, had inherited — which at first does not sound problematic. However, her mother, Ms Anders, had passed away, which put matters into perspective. Secondly, mother and daughter had fallen out decades earlier and no longer maintained a close relationship, meaning that the death was certainly not a joyful event for Ms Bungert, but neither did it shatter her world. Thirdly, although Ms Bungert had always considered her mother to be reasonably well-off, the estate she shared with her sister amounted to only a few hundred euros.

 

Ms Bungert found this difficult to understand, particularly as her sister owned a substantial property. The suspicion arose: had the mother gradually transferred her assets to her preferred child before her death, without informing the less favoured daughter? Ms Bungert therefore commissioned the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne to carry out an asset investigation into her late mother and to research her financial circumstances.

Preliminary Investigations by Aaden Detectives Cologne | Step 1: Compilation of Known Information

During the preliminary investigations, our private detectives from Cologne, together with Ms Bungert, compiled the known information:

 

• Ms Anders (the client’s mother) had been in steady employment for many years, with an estimated net income of approximately €2,000–€2,800.
• Ms Anders had inherited over €50,000 from her own parents, officially documented, approximately seven years prior.
• Two years earlier, Ms Anders had divorced her husband and received instalment payments over 48 months for her share of the jointly owned house. Although the exact amount was unknown, the property’s total value at that time was estimated at €350,000–€400,000.
• Ms Bungert’s sister had been living for several years in a large house with extensive grounds, although both she and her husband were employed in professions where net incomes exceeding €2,000 would be unlikely.

Preliminary Investigations by Aaden Detectives Cologne | Step 2: Compilation of Speculations to Be Examined

The following suspicions were also to be investigated by our corporate detectives from Cologne:

 

• The sister’s house had been secretly financed using the mother’s assets.
• According to another relative, Ms Anders had invested substantial sums in the Benelux countries.
• After the mother’s death, the sister was the first to enter the deceased’s apartment and allegedly removed assets and relevant financial documents.´

Commencement of Investigations by the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne

Through a contact and an enquiry at the local court, our Cologne private detectives identified a name linked to Ms Anders, which also appeared in her notebook along with a telephone number. As Ms Bungert suspected that funds may have been transferred and invested in the Benelux region via an intermediary, this individual was investigated further. It turned out to be the wife of a tax adviser, which initially reinforced the suspicion of assets held abroad.

 

A detective from the Aaden Corporate Detective Agency Cologne visited the tax adviser’s office address, which was also his private residence. It was a small, somewhat neglected house in a rural area — not indicative of tax evasion or covert financial dealings. As no one was present, the investigator contacted the adviser’s wife via a researched mobile number. She provided information about Ms Anders but referred the detective to her husband for more detailed financial matters. A personal meeting was arranged for the following week.

Examination of the Sister’s Financial Situation

Further research into the sister and her husband revealed that several businesses were registered under their names in the commercial and trade registers, all linked to their residential address. This indicated that, in addition to their employment, they were engaged in self-employed activities, suggesting higher income than initially assumed. In this light, the allegedly luxurious property appeared less suspicious.

On-Site Inspection of the Property

An on-site inspection of the address relativized the estimate of wealth, because the supposedly luxurious building had never been completed. The surrounding plot lay undeveloped, the driveway was only a gravel path, parts of the house’s exterior cladding were missing, and several cables hung half-installed around the property. The two clearly aging vehicles on the property (both long out of production), which according to a vehicle owner check by the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne were registered to one spouse each, could not have been worth more than €4,000 apiece — and even that, according to checks on online car markets, would only have been achievable for garage-kept vehicles with very low mileage.

Suspicion of Tax Irregularities

On a ground-floor retail unit that was listed under the name of one of the known commercial register entries, there was a notice several months old referring to the closure of the business. Signs referring to most of the other researched companies were also found on the premises. However, based on several other indications, our Cologne corporate detectives came to the conclusion that the business here had most likely been shut down completely — if it had ever existed at all, since several of the companies nominally carried out their core business in construction, plumbing, and installation. Perhaps they had been founded merely to save taxes during the construction of the house and the purchase of the land.

 

However, checking that suspicion was not among the tasks of our detectives in Cologne. What could be stated was, first, that the suspected owners had apparently run out of money some time ago and, second, that there probably had never been as much wealth available as previously assumed. The investigative trail of the sister’s luxury house therefore strongly suggested a dead end. Our corporate detectives from Cologne received further confirmation of this assumption through a credit check: for more than two years, the couple had made no principal repayments, and instead paid only about €800 per month in interest alone. Given these payment obligations, it surprised the operations management of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne even less that the money had run out.

Part 2 of this Article

In Part 2, you will learn how this case ended. Please click here.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Service After Service: Detectives from Cologne Investigate Contract Worker

Ms. I., client of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne, is a woman with a high income, though not wealthy in the usual sense of the term. She owned a pleasant house in Cologne-Lindenthal with stylish furnishings, a small city car, and three valuable pieces of jewelry whose resale value had been estimated at over 20,000 € a few years earlier. Except for the car, however, Ms. I. had not purchased these valuables herself but had inherited them. Instead of expensive status symbols, she preferred to invest her income in services that would make her life easier. However, one of these services had the exact opposite effect, which led to the engagement of our detectives from Cologne.

Theft Trap Intended to Identify the Perpetrator

Two service providers regularly entered Ms. I.’s home: a cleaning worker, colloquially referred to as a house cleaner, who sometimes brought her husband along to work, and a woman who occasionally helped Ms. I. transport packages, as the client of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne ran a small mail-order business on the side. She generally got along well with both individuals during the few conversations they had and trusted them to some extent. However, when one day her inherited jewelry disappeared from a box on the upper floor, she was quickly able to narrow down the circle of suspects to these few individuals. Ms. I. met with the private detectives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne and received advice on options for identifying the perpetrator and recovering the stolen property. Our detectives recommended setting a so-called theft trap. As Ms. I. suspected the cleaning worker more than the package assistant, she and the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne agreed to set the trap during the cleaning worker’s next visit to the client’s home.

Installation of a Hidden Camera

As a first step, an investigator from the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne conducted an on-site inspection of Ms. I.’s house in order to determine which type of theft trap would be most suitable and where it could be placed. Ultimately, it was decided to set a relatively simple trap: an inexpensive imitation of a luxury brand watch, recognizable as such only to experts, would be placed within the field of view of a hidden camera. If the cleaning worker were to steal the imitation, this would very likely serve as sufficiently clear evidence to also prove responsibility for the initial theft. Due to the value in dispute and the use in private premises, the temporary installation of covert video surveillance equipment by our detectives from Cologne is considered justified in this case.

The Aaden Private Detectives Identify the Perpetrator

As a test, the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne installed the camera one day before the cleaning worker’s next visit – everything functioned flawlessly. On the decisive day, two surveillance operatives positioned themselves with two vehicles at the two exit routes from the residence in order to follow the cleaning worker to her place of residence after work if necessary, as this address was unknown to Ms. I. (the cleaning services were performed on a contract basis against receipts; Ms. I. had never requested the address and only knew the family name). One of the observing detectives from Cologne had set up a radio connection from the hidden camera to his tablet and was therefore able to monitor live whether the watch would be stolen. The suspect usually arrived at the workplace by public transportation, but on this day she appeared with her husband, who drove her to work and assisted with the cleaning. However, that was not his only activity in the house: he also examined the placed watch for a few seconds before slipping it into his pocket.

Acknowledgment of Guilt by the Perpetrator

After completing the cleaning work, the perpetrator and his wife got into their car and drove off, followed by our private detectives from Cologne. The journey led to a nearby single-family home of noticeably upscale style. The detectives considered it highly unlikely that the subjects lived there; rather, it was probably another location where they performed cleaning work. Accordingly, the surveillance operatives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne waited until the work there was also completed and the subjects would proceed to their next destination. This then turned out to be their actual residence, as the known family name was found on the doorbell and mailbox.

 

Once this had been verified and the Aaden detectives had consulted with Ms. I., they rang the doorbell to confront the subjects with the evidence. The victim and our investigators sincerely hoped that the stolen jewelry had not yet been sold to fences. The perpetrator initially reacted very irritably to the statements of our Cologne detectives and argued loudly. This, in turn, prompted his wife, to whom we explained the situation and pointed out that there would be criminal consequences if the stolen goods were not immediately handed over. She appeared completely shocked, and her anger was clearly directed at her thieving husband, even though the investigators could not understand what she was shouting at him due to language barriers. Ultimately, he became very subdued and retrieved all of Ms. I.’s stolen jewelry from a hiding place in the apartment. The detectives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne also prepared a handover protocol and an acknowledgment of guilt, both of which were signed by the perpetrator, before taking their leave. Both documents were handed over to Ms. I. for her use at her own discretion. Incidentally, the counterfeit watch was anonymously handed over to the authorities after the case was concluded.

Notice

Notice: For reasons of discretion and data protection, the locations of the operation and certain personal details have been altered without distorting the essential meaning of the actual events.

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824

Colleagues Show Loyalty to the Employer

The corporate detectives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne recently investigated in the Rhineland on suspicion of feigning illness and thus committing fraud (§ 263 German Criminal Code, in this case: sick leave fraud). The employee in question had already been absent for several weeks due to an alleged leg thrombosis when he was seen by his own colleagues at a hardware store purchasing bags of cement. The loyal employees reported this to the human resources department, and the managing director of the affected company contacted the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne with the request to have the suspicious employee investigated by our detectives.

Surveillance by Our Cologne Detectives Initially Uneventful

On the day following the assignment, three of our Cologne detectives took up positions in a small town in the Rhineland where the target person lives, in order to observe the daily routine of the suspected employee. For several hours, this task remained uneventful, as there was no activity whatsoever in or around the single-family home of the target person. The only variation for our Cologne detectives came from regular position changes, which were necessary due to attentive neighbors. At around 10:30 a.m., the target person of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne was first spotted by our observers when he walked to the mailbox at the garden gate without pants, wearing a stained T-shirt, to retrieve the newspaper.

 

About 45 minutes later, our detectives began following the target person as he and his wife left the garage in the target vehicle. However, this did not lead to any immediate developments, as the drive ended after less than two kilometers at a local supermarket, from which they returned home after a few minor and irrelevant purchases. A few hours later, the couple briefly visited a shoe store with the target vehicle. After that, nothing further happened, and the private detectives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne ended their work for the day.

A Visit to the Movies Is Not Sufficient Evidence

A further detective deployment was arranged for the following day with the managing director of the employer, in the hope that the previous day had simply been unproductive. The sequence of events initially resembled the previous day, but in the afternoon there was a slight change: the target person of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne visited a movie theater in Cologne with his approximately 10-year-old daughter. This daughter had not appeared before, and there were no school holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia during the observation period. In the case of leg thrombosis, it is generally advised to rest and elevate the affected leg, but such a movie visit does not constitute proof of a labor law violation. However, our Cologne detectives doubted the employee’s honesty, as no physical limitations in movement were observed, although a leg thrombosis would normally cause noticeable difficulties. Accordingly, the investigators were dissatisfied with the results at the end of the day.

 

Fortunately, the clients of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne demonstrated foresight and ordered a third day of surveillance. The quiet start of the day repeated itself once again, but around midday, our detectives observed a trip to a hardware store, where the target person purchased some wooden slats and nails. This purchase appeared suspicious, and the deployed investigators of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne awaited the following hours of observation with anticipation.

A Sick Individual Works on His House: Aaden Detective Agency Cologne Provides Proof

The target person brought the purchased building materials into the house, and a few minutes later, loud sawing and hammering noises could be heard from inside. This alone was of little help to our detectives. Fortunately, after some time, a roof window opened and the target person climbed out onto the roof step. Over the course of several hours, the “sick” employee carried out repair work on the chimney of the house, at times performing rather risky movements without any safety precautions. The absence of any thrombosis-related movement restriction was documented through extensive photo and video recordings by our Cologne detectives.

Another Sick Note the Following Day!

The target person took matters even further the next day when he drove early in the morning with his daughter to a medical center in Cologne. Among the practices located there was the doctor who had issued the previous sick notes. After the visit, father and daughter went on a short walk through the city before returning home. Half an hour after their return, the private detectives of the Aaden Detective Agency Cologne received a call from the client. A new sick note for the target person had just been submitted to the company. In light of the activities observed the previous day, our Cologne corporate detective agency had thus provided proof of feigned illness. The observers on site concluded their work and prepared the court-admissible investigation report for further use in the upcoming labor law dispute between the target person and the affected company.

Note

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

Aaden Investigators Cologne

Hohenstaufenring 62

D-50674 Köln | Cologne

Tel.: +49 221 9859 2399

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824