Employee Feigns Illness: Aaden Detective Agency Cologne Provides Proof

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.