“Following the terrorist attack in Hanau, further details have emerged. According to reports, the attacker, Tobias R., is said to have held a meeting in Dortmund.

Hanau Attacker Suffered from Paranoia

Dortmund – A new development in the case of Tobias R. following the attack that left multiple victims in Hanau! According to a detective agency called “Kurtz” from Wuppertal, reported to RUHR24.de, the Hanau attacker had already contacted the agency in June 2019. R. reportedly felt persecuted from all sides and was particularly convinced that the world was being controlled by a secret organisation under American leadership, known in Germany only to Angela Merkel, according to managing director Patrick Kurtz.

Tobias R. had reportedly learned that the investigators from the Wuppertal-based company had good contacts with authorities. “He wanted us to arrange a contact to the BND and various other state organisations. We declined this request,” says company director Patrick Kurtz. The background was that R. believed only he, the BND and Merkel knew of a conspiracy in which the US intelligence service controlled world events.

According to Kurtz, a meeting took place in October 2019 between R. and the agency from the Bergisches Land. The meeting was held in Dortmund, at Dieckmann’s on Wittbräucker Straße in the south of the city. R. reportedly even brought along the manifesto that investigators later found after the bloody attack in Hanau. He read passages from it to the agency’s investigator – who comes from Unna.

“During the appointment, it quickly became clear that he suffered from paranoia and other psychological issues/disorders,” says Kurtz. He adds: “We deal with such problem cases almost daily, but of course one does not expect that it would ever result in such a violent act, especially since Mr R. showed no signs of violent tendencies.”

Hanau Attacker Met with Detective Agency from Wuppertal in Dortmund

Patrick Kurtz does not believe that the agency could have prevented the ten victims in Hanau. “If we reported every schizophrenic who contacted us at the agency, the police would receive a call from us every day,” he told RUHR24. Although Tobias R. presented incoherent theories, he appeared “eloquent and intelligent.” For the appointment in Dortmund, he arrived wearing a suit and with a freshly styled haircut.

In discussions with R., the Wuppertal agency learned that the future Hanau attacker allegedly had a friend with whom he shared his thoughts.”

Notes

The original article was published in RUHR24. The highlights (bold text) and links on this page may differ from the original.

Our condolences go to the victims and their families.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

Interview on the Hanau Attack with Investigator “Holger” from Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Before the Hanau attack, the perpetrator is said to have been in Dortmund. A private detective reports on a meeting in a restaurant. Tobias R. apparently made a “strange” impression.

The man who contacted our editorial team on Friday says, “If you write an article, just call me Holger.” He also gave his real name, but since he works “undercover” as a private detective, he does not want it published.

Holger recently learned that a man he had contacted several times in 2019 killed ten people and himself. This refers to Tobias R., who became the apparently racially motivated attacker in Hanau near Frankfurt.

“He Sought Connections to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution”

“The initial contact was made through our Kurtz Detective Agency in Frankfurt,” says the investigator, who works in a nationwide network. Tobias R. called and wanted to speak only to the director or a deputy. He was connected to Holger.

“He was seeking connections to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and other authorities,” says the man working in and around Dortmund. The man on the phone claimed he was being followed and monitored. The private detectives reportedly do have good contacts, but they do not disclose them, says Holger.

They spoke on the phone three times. “He didn’t let up,” says Holger. In the detective industry, “strange” people are not unusual. “Out of personal interest, I agreed to a meeting.” This took place on 24 October at the restaurant Dieckmanns in Dortmund-Syburg.

The Stack of Papers Already Existed in October

“He looked completely normal,” says Holger. Tobias R. wore a grey suit and spoke articulately. “He read from his manifesto to me,” says the detective. The contents, later found after the shootings, had already been laid out on the table in Dortmund in October. Holger cannot say exactly how thick the stack of papers was, but the later stated 24 pages seems about right.

In October, the Hesse spoke about Hollywood producers allegedly stealing a film idea from him and claimed that Donald Trump became US president through his own thought experiments. “By the age of four or five he realised he was being monitored,” says the detective. “It was in him from childhood.”

Detective Holger had the impression the man was trying to find people who could help him in his confusion. “I didn’t feel he was capable of something like that. He spoke of a secret organisation we were supposed to establish contact with.”

After about two and a half hours, the two men parted ways. They agreed that Tobias R. would send the detective his information. Since then, Holger had heard nothing from him—until the attack in February with eleven victims.

“I Can’t Blame Myself”

As a detective, he must deal discreetly with clients, says Holger. “I can’t go to the police and say, ‘Look, this man is crazy.’ They would just laugh at me.” Tobias R. gave no indication that he was capable of violent acts. Weapons were never mentioned.

After the Hanau attack, Holger contacted the police to provide a witness statement. “I can’t blame myself,” says the detective. Shortly after the Dortmund meeting, in November, Tobias R. himself filed a complaint against an unknown organisation said to control world events. At that time, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office had contact with the future attacker.

On Saturday, Holger even visited the editorial office himself. One point is particularly important to him: linking Tobias R. to racism or right-wing extremism, in his view, is “nonsense.” Tobias R. was simply ill. “The murder was a vent.”

Notes

The original article by Kevin Kindel appeared in the Ruhr Nachrichten. Highlights (bold text) and links on this page may differ from the original.

Our condolences go to the victims and their families.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

Holger E., detective of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund, met in June 2019 with Tobias Rathjen, the alleged Hanau attacker. In conversation with Radio 91.2 – Mein Dortmund!, the private detective describes the path leading to the meeting with Tobias Rathjen and, of course, the approximately two-and-a-half-hour encounter itself at the Dortmund restaurant Dieckmanns.

A short audio excerpt of the interview is available here. Below is a transcript of the entire segment:

Detective: “Never Aggressive”

Radio 91.2: “The Hanau attacker, Tobias Rathjen, wrote down his worldview in a ‘manifesto’. He felt persecuted by an intelligence service and believed that certain peoples should be completely annihilated. The story about an intelligence service supposedly eavesdropping on him had apparently been told by him to several people long before the crime. Allegedly also to the police, who were unable to make anything of it. And to private investigators – including detective Holger E. of Kurtz Detective Agency from Wuppertal. He met with him, says Holger E. This took place on 7 October in Dortmund at Dieckmanns on Wittbräucker Straße. Holger E. recalls:”

Detective “Holger E.”: “He was of the opinion that there was a superior authority that had been eavesdropping on him since childhood and was also exploiting his thoughts.”

Radio 91.2: “Holger E. has told us about his meeting with Tobias Rathjen. Why the detective did not subsequently go to the police, and much more, he now tries to explain to us – right here with me.”

Tobias Rathjen: Delusions Since Early Childhood?

Radio 91.2: “The Hanau attacker, Tobias Rathjen, apparently had contact last autumn with a private detective from Dortmund. Rathjen felt persecuted and believed he was being bugged by a superior organisation. He told this on 7 October to a private detective from the Kurtz firm in Wuppertal. And indeed here in Dortmund, in the fireplace room of Dieckmanns on Wittbräucker Straße. Private investigator ‘Holger E.’ remembers how Tobias Rathjen read from his ‘manifesto’.”

Detective “Holger E.”: “What had happened in his life. Among other things, it was already there that at a very young age he had noticed he was being monitored, that someone had entered his brain and was extracting things from it. And that this had continued over the years. When I asked him why he believed he was so important that someone would monitor him from the age of five, he said: ‘My thoughts later shaped world politics. Trump only came to power because of my line of thinking.’”

Radio 91.2: “Tobias Rathjen wanted to engage the private investigator to clarify who exactly was eavesdropping on him and embedding themselves in his mind. From these descriptions, it was immediately clear to the private investigator: the man was ill.”

Detective “Holger E.”: “When he started saying that at one, two or three years old he already had the feeling that someone was tampering with his brain … But in my profession, I deal with such people very frequently. All sorts of people come to us – young and old – who have problems, who believe they are being persecuted, who say: my neighbour is irradiating me with microwaves. Or: something drips from the ceiling above me; when a drop hits me, I get burns on my body. From a professional point of view, it was interesting for me simply to hear: how far has this man progressed in his schizophrenic thinking?”

Why Did the Authorities Not Examine Tobias Rathjen?

Radio 91.2: “According to his own statement, the private investigator declined the assignment. But he did not report the apparently psychologically ill Tobias Rathjen to the police either.”

Detective “Holger E.”: “No, I detected no aggression or violent tendencies in him. He never made racist remarks. I believe that Mr Rathjen, the attacker, had himself sufficiently under control to conduct completely normal conversations without revealing his, let us say, second self – namely that he was being monitored and that he carried these delusions, this persecution complex, within him.”

Radio 91.2: “And in the end, ten people and the attacker himself had to die. The question remains: could this not have been prevented? Especially since Tobias Rathjen had allegedly gone to the police repeatedly for years to report his persecution delusions. In November, he filed a complaint with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office – nothing happened, although the man possessed a firearms licence and corresponding pistols. The private detective from the Kurtz firm allegedly did not know this. But the authorities should have reacted, he says:”

Detective “Holger E.”: “He also went to the police after my conversation with him, not long afterwards, and reported it himself. In my view, a mistake was made there. Someone should have taken a proper look, should have run him through the system and would then have had to realise: the man is a weapons holder. He has schizophrenia and owns weapons? Today I see that as a mistake by the authorities.”

Radio 91.2: “The case of the Hanau attacker, Tobias Rathjen – a psychologically ill racist suffering from delusions of persecution with a firearms licence. Ten people and he himself are dead. According to its own statement, Kurtz Detective Agency offered the police full support at the end of last week.”

Our condolences go to the victims and their families.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

Pathological Gambling – An Addiction That Can Destroy Relationships, People, and Families

Gambling addiction is an increasingly serious problem in Germany; according to suchtmittel.de, almost 200,000 people are affected nationwide, losing around €2.2 billion annually. The majority of those affected are men aged 18 to 35, with only 10 per cent being female. Contrary to the assumption that gambling addiction is less severe and almost negligible compared with other addictions, our detectives in Dortmund repeatedly observe that not only the affected individuals themselves, but also their families, social circles, and employers suffer from the consequences. Gambling addiction can destroy entire lives in multiple ways.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund intervenes when spouses or partners, parents, or employers suspect that a partner, child, or employee may have a harmful relationship with gambling: +49 231 8401 0065.

Gambling Addiction – An Initially Concealed Dependence

Gambling addicts are not immediately visible on the street; unlike drug or alcohol dependents, they can easily conceal their addiction and continue to fulfil their societal role. Due to the relatively small number of affected individuals – and because most are secretive addicts – there is often little awareness of the typical appearance or symptoms of this addiction. According to our Dortmund private detectives, prolonged nights out and high expenditures are often initially misattributed to an affair rather than gambling addiction.

However, the affected individuals suffer like any other addicts: loss of control, withdrawal symptoms when unable to play, compulsive urges, endangerment of social and professional relationships, creation of extensive lies to conceal their addiction, and more. Debt arising from addiction often compels them to steal or commit fraud to secure the funds needed to continue their gambling. Their world revolves entirely around the game and the money, which seems quick and easy to win.

Gambling Addiction in Dortmund and Mitigation Measures

According to an article by Der Westen in 2011, Dortmund had over 5,000 pathological gamblers, who lost more than €37 million annually on approximately 2,100 slot machines. Those affected are confronted daily with new incentives to gamble: advertisements for casinos, lottery, and sports betting on TV, online, and in print; local arcades; slot machines, lottery tickets, and scratch cards in kiosks and pubs; easy access to online gambling; and more. Even individuals attempting to avoid gambling may be drawn back into the spiral of thrill, wins, and losses. Lavish party nights and increasingly sophisticated gaming environments, such as those at the Spielbank Hohensyburg in Dortmund, are also drawing more women into gambling.

Support options include self-help groups such as those run by the Caritas Association in Dortmund, therapeutic care programmes, and self- or third-party exclusions. The latter are regulated under the 2008 Gambling Treaty and its subsequent versions: a self-exclusion allows the player to voluntarily block access to gambling in state-run casinos by submitting an application. For our Dortmund private detectives, third-party exclusions are more significant, as clients sometimes seek our assistance to collect the evidence necessary to successfully request such exclusions. These are granted when, for example, a gambling addiction threatens the family’s livelihood and can be substantiated. A limitation of these exclusions is that they only apply to state-operated, not commercial gambling; in other words, the restricted person can no longer gamble in state casinos but may still visit commercial casinos.

New Gambling Tax as a Deterrent for Players?

Previously, the city of Dortmund levied taxes on betting offices according to the size of the commercial premises: €250 per 20 m² per month. In summer 2017, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig declared this rule invalid. Dortmund now follows the Frankfurt model, levying taxes proportionally on the wagered amount. While municipalities hope to increase revenues, the official purpose of the tax is to deter gamblers. Whether this municipal tax reform will have a positive impact on addicted players will only become apparent over months or years, once new statistics on addicted gamblers are published.

Methods Employed by Our Dortmund Detectives

When Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund is tasked with monitoring a family member to substantiate gambling addiction, the first step is to verify the client’s legitimate interest. This might be a spouse seeking to prevent their partner from gambling away joint assets, an employer concerned their employee is frequenting casinos rather than working, or parents wishing to keep a minor away from gambling venues (gambling in Germany is legally permitted only from age 18). Observation of a disliked neighbour or wealthy relative, for instance, is not permitted. We are happy to advise clients on our guidelines and methods.

Where legitimate interest exists, surveillance is usually the most effective investigative method. For example, a husband suspected of staying late in the city after work or working “mysterious overtime” may be followed by our corporate detectives during the periods of suspicion. Visits to casinos, arcades, or betting offices can be documented. Sometimes observation continues inside the establishments to record gambling behaviour and, importantly, amounts risked, lost, or won – information that may be relevant in maintenance or financial matters. For online gambling addiction, our IT specialists in Dortmund examine browser histories, cache data, and background processes on the devices used, a method frequently employed for work computers where there is suspected abuse of working hours.

Engaging Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

If you fear that a spouse, partner, minor child, or employee is harming themselves or others through gambling addiction and you wish to document it, contact our Dortmund detectives. We provide advice by phone or email regarding options, procedures, payment methods, and potential outcomes. The detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency are IHK-certified, professional, and discreet, ensuring that operations are conducted quickly and results-oriented. Contact us via our contact form, by email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de, or by telephone at +49 231 8401 0065.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

Fraudsters Who Promise Services or Payments Without Intending to Deliver

Among the many forms of fraud used to harm others and enrich oneself, contractual or inducement fraud (Einlassungsbetrug) is one of the most common. There are two very simple reasons for this:

1. Inducement fraud can be committed with little effort.
2. Prosecution is considerably hampered by the frequent lack of objective evidence.

A prerequisite for classifying an act as fraud is always a deliberate intent to cause harm. In inducement fraud one party wilfully fails to fulfil obligations arising from a contractual relationship — that is, they are either unable or unwilling to perform the obligation.

Further Definition and Examples of “Inducement Fraud” | Difficult Legal Assessment

A typical example would be concluding a vehicle leasing contract in which the lessee takes possession of the vehicle but subsequently fails to pay the instalments through no fault of the lessor, even though the lessee either had the means to pay or from the outset lacked the necessary funds. Demonstrating afterwards that a person did not merely fail to meet an obligation but did so intentionally and fraudulently is usually difficult. After all, one can only read a person’s face, as the saying goes.

Accordingly, many prosecutors and judges are reluctant to deal with this subject, since they must make a subjective assessment of the offender’s intentions — and that is an area in which one can easily get burned. It is often argued that the matter is purely civil-law in nature. In many quarters it is believed that without the debtor’s confession a deceptive intent — and therefore fraud — cannot be proven. From experience, our corporate detectives in Dortmund know that this is an overly simplistic view, because sufficient evidence is often present and perseverance in legal proceedings can pay off.

For example: did the cabinetmaker really intend to manufacture the already-deposited writing desk, or did he pocket the advance even though he knew he would never produce the furniture because his workshop was already on the verge of insolvency at the time the order was placed? To clarify such cases, where a distinction must be drawn between mere non-performance of a contract and criminal inducement fraud, Kurtz Investigations Dortmund is at your disposal. The evidence obtained by our professional enquiries can simplify the often difficult court proceedings so that victims obtain justice: +49 231 8401 0065.

Fraud Using Shell Companies

Where non-performance of contracts is organised and planned, shell companies — often mere letterbox firms created for that purpose — are frequently involved. Typical “business activities” of these outfits include:

• Luring customers, never providing the promised service or delivery, and running the company into insolvency.
• Engaging third-party companies to provide services which satisfy customers, but the shell firm never pays the third party.
• Attracting investors whose funds are transferred to foreign bank accounts and never used for production or the alleged services of the firm.

All three scenarios typically end with an insolvency filing, the dissolution of the shell company, or its takeover by complicit liquidators. The financial proceeds are concealed and excluded from the insolvency estate by tricks such as sham gifts or opaque transfers. Then begins the search for the responsible individuals, who disappear, disclaim responsibility, or cannot be found because they acted under false names. Our corporate detectives’ work is therefore also important for enforcing claims against inducement fraudsters.

Even Detective Agencies Suffer from Inducement Fraud

Although one might assume that the risk of being caught would deter offenders, even an investigative service such as the Kurtz detective operation is not immune to inducement fraud. The pattern can be applied to other service providers: a client commissions, for example, an observation. At the time of commissioning the client already knows they will be unable to pay the agreed fee in full. Other inducement fraudsters are financially able to pay but decide at the moment of commissioning that they will not settle the invoice irrespective of the quality of the service. This results in debtor searches, asset enquiries and lengthy, time-consuming procedures for us as well.

On the other hand, this means that, beyond client commissions, we constantly deal with issues such as insolvency fraud, tactics to conceal assets, transfers of valuable property, and so on. Our Dortmund detectives are correspondingly experienced in this field and resolute in their pursuit of bringing such fraudsters to justice.

What Do Our Corporate Investigators Do in Cases of Inducement Fraud?

There are two main areas of detective activity in inducement fraud: obtaining court-admissible proof of the offence and searching for absconding fraudsters.

Proving Inducement Fraud

First, the perpetrator’s criminal and financial background is examined to answer questions such as:

• Has the person committed similar offences in the past?

• Was the person insolvent at the time the contract was concluded?

Debtor Search | Perpetrator Search

When locating a person, an initial investigative step may be to check whether the debtor’s name actually exists or whether an alias was used. To do this, we activate our contacts at the relevant authorities. If the name proves false, other data such as bank account information, mailbox numbers, email addresses etc. are examined. Once the debtor’s identity is established, the aim is usually to determine a serviceable address or a regular place of residence.

On-site enquiries are often necessary, during which our private detectives in Dortmund check private and business addresses to confirm presence or absence of the person sought or to gather new leads — commonly using a cover story. Surveillance at known haunts of the offender is also frequently conducted to follow the fraudster from there to their current residence.

Engaging Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

If you have been defrauded by an inducement fraudster and wish to pursue civil and/or criminal action, do not hesitate to contact our Dortmund private detective agency for a free consultation. We guarantee professionalism, discretion and results-orientation, and we are usually able to deploy the necessary operatives at short notice.

You can reach us during business hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 20:00) via our contact form, by e-mail at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de, or by telephone at +49 231 8401 0065.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

Thefts by Warehouse Operatives at Amazon Werne

Over an extended period, a 34-year-old and a 36-year-old warehouse worker employed by the online retailer Amazon ordered inexpensive goods from their employer in order to have valuable items delivered to themselves instead of the articles actually ordered. When the orders arrived at the warehouse in Werne, one perpetrator was responsible for preparing the invoices, while the other labelled the parcels. In doing so, labels for low-value items such as toilet paper were affixed to expensive goods such as laptops and other electronic devices, meaning that only the weight of the parcel could have revealed its true contents at the point of dispatch. Naturally, the falsified orders were not placed in the names of the two perpetrators, but in those of a neighbour and a partner. When one of these allegedly regular consignments was eventually intercepted in the warehouse due to an initial suspicion, the value of this single delivery alone was found to amount to 7,600 euros. The total damage caused to Amazon can no longer be determined retrospectively; the police assume a six-figure sum.

Warehouse thefts such as in this case are by no means rare; many warehouse operatives succumb to the temptation to pocket small and inconspicuous products and let them disappear. That this constitutes theft under Section 242 of the German Criminal Code need hardly be mentioned. It usually begins with “harmless” thefts, but the longer the perpetrators get away with it, the bolder they become and the higher the sums of damage rise. If thefts of company property stored internally come to light, whether on a small or large scale, swift action is required. In the vast majority of cases, the thieves are to be found within the company’s own workforce. In order to investigate warehouse theft by identifying and securing court-admissible evidence against the perpetrators, our IHK-certified business detectives from Dortmund conduct surveillance in the affected warehouses (depending on the case during or outside working hours) or are deployed undercover by the aggrieved company as supposed employees in order to gain discreet access to operational processes and staff: +49 231 8401 0065.

Internal or External Perpetrators? Who Is Involved?

Warehouse thefts are, of course, not committed exclusively by internal offenders. Based on various indicators, our security experts can determine whether a break-in has occurred, for example if locks have been damaged, alarm systems disabled or clear signs of forced entry such as smashed windows and broken doors have been left behind. In such cases, the perpetrators are usually external offenders; however, break-ins are sometimes staged in order to divert suspicion from the real thieves within the company’s own ranks. Furthermore, collusion between internal and external perpetrators frequently occurs: access data such as door codes or copies of warehouse keys are passed on to third parties in order to share the proceeds of a subsequent break-in. The stolen goods are often not taken for personal use but resold, which fulfils the criminal offence of handling stolen goods under Section 259 of the German Criminal Code.

While the police detection rate is already at a dismal level even in clearly recognisable cases of burglary, they do not even take action in cases of mere suspicion of warehouse theft. Our Kurtz Investigations Dortmund, by contrast, is available to affected companies at all times with practical support, either by monitoring the company premises, especially the warehouse areas, or by specifically observing individual employees who have aroused suspicion through statements, behaviour or the course of events. Undercover detectives in particular have the opportunity to look over the shoulders of warehouse staff and logistics personnel and catch them red-handed, for example when they conceal items in their pockets or pass on internal company information to third parties via mobile phone.

Security Measures Often Insufficient

Night-time thefts of goods in the third-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia are not uncommon, as Dortmund is known not only for its history in heavy industry but more than ever as a location for many different manufacturing companies. In addition to pallets, steel, building materials etc. from one of the many large companies such as WILO, for example automotive components from Elmos, a supplier to the automotive industry, may also be stolen. In order to protect themselves against such thefts, large companies in particular have set high security standards: apart from alarm systems, night watchmen, cameras on the exterior walls of company buildings and much more, employees are often searched when leaving the premises. Yet all these and further security measures are often insufficient to protect against internal thieves, especially as legal restrictions such as employees’ personal rights must be observed in all precautions. If thefts have occurred despite precautionary measures, our Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund will help to identify the perpetrators, whether from within the workforce or outside it: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de.

Naturally, it is not only manufacturers of building materials and automotive parts who are affected or threatened by theft; every manufacturing company, every logistics firm and even every larger craft business must fear that products will be stolen from warehouses or production halls and subsequently resold or retained for personal use. Our detectives from Dortmund therefore recommend that all potentially affected businesses examine their balance sheets and unit quantities very closely for discrepancies in order to determine at an early stage whether they are affected by theft.

Deliveries Incomplete, Warehouse Being Plundered? Kurtz Investigations Dortmund Takes Over the Investigation.

Have you or one of your warehouse operatives discovered that pallets of goods regularly disappear or that product deliveries are already incomplete when loaded onto the lorry? Do you suspect that one of your employees is behind thefts and misappropriations or that external thieves intend to harm your company? In these or other cases of warehouse theft, contact our Dortmund private detectives to receive a free consultation regarding the possible course of action and to instruct our investigators with clarifying the offence. You can reach us during our business hours (Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00) on the following telephone number: +49 231 8401 0065.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

The Mystery of Grandmother’s Locked Box

Recently, journalist Karoline Scheer, recipient of the 2014 German Radio Award for Best Reportage, devoted a feature on the topic of “secrets” for Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and interviewed Patrick Kurtz, owner of our Dortmund detective agency.

In 2007, Scheer had inherited a locked metal box from her late grandmother – without the accompanying key. Since then, she has wondered what the box might contain. This thought experiment led her to consider whether she should open it or leave it closed – reveal the secret or preserve it? To help with her decision, she interviewed various experts: a hacker, a blogger, a professor from the University of Tübingen, and a private detective – Patrick Kurtz.

The full feature, initially broadcast on MDR Kultur and subsequently on other ARD cultural channels, can be listened to here (Patrick Kurtz appears at 20:50). Permanent access to the audio is not guaranteed, as this is at the discretion of MDR. Below is a transcript of the published conversation between Karoline Scheer and Patrick Kurtz:

Sherlock 2016 – Pipe, Chesterfield, and Borussia Dortmund

Karoline Scheer: “Film and television have trained us whom to call in tricky cases. Because he still exists, the private detective. And he smokes a pipe and welcomes me in a brown leather armchair – very Sherlock.”

Patrick Kurtz: “He [the detective profession] is not extinct. I believe there will always be a detective because information is valuable. Information will always be needed, and accordingly, the detective profession will exist for the foreseeable future.”

Karoline Scheer: “Patrick Kurtz fulfils some clichés, yet he does not look like a detective. He is 31, wears a cardigan instead of tweed, and his slippers show his heart beats for Borussia Dortmund. So far, so good.”

Privacy Matters | Shocking Discoveries in Investigations

Patrick Kurtz: “I think everyone has a right to secrets. It’s also important that people can protect their privacy. This plays a role for us because we constantly weigh whether there is a legitimate interest to conduct an investigation. But if secrets harm others, they must come to light.”

“We do encounter surprises where people have strong reactions. For example, a woman once discovered her husband’s behaviour was unusual, and it turned out he was apparently bisexual or even homosexual. He met regularly in certain places with other men and engaged in sexual activity in the forest or public restrooms. That was a major shock for her because they had children and he was the head of a large family.”

Data Espionage by Intelligence Services

Karoline Scheer: “Detectives need secrets, because without them, their profession would not exist. Yet they systematically break secrets to reveal the truth.”

Patrick Kurtz: “Actually, you cannot shield yourself from intelligence agencies. Even before the BND or NSA scandals, experts knew data leaks were inevitable. But to protect oneself from people like us, detectives, you can do quite a lot. You cannot fully hide vehicle registration data or your registered address. But for truly personal, private matters, you should be able to keep them secret if you value them.”

Karoline Scheer: “According to Kurtz, every German hires a detective on average 1.4 times in life. For me, it was the first time – and sobering.”

What is in the Box?

Patrick Kurtz: “If all I know is that it’s a box belonging to your grandmother, and nothing else is known, I have no basis to take any investigative action. We can’t do anything.”

Karoline Scheer: “How could you open it technically? You said it wouldn’t be difficult?”

Patrick Kurtz: “Lockpicking is the method to open most locks.”

Karoline Scheer: “How long would it take you?”

Patrick Kurtz: “For me, being unpractised, about 5–15 minutes. Someone experienced could do it in seconds. But for this lock, a pair of pliers might be the best solution.”

Further Listening

Whether Karoline Scheer ultimately opened her grandmother’s box can be heard in the original broadcast, linked above. Our Dortmund detective agency thanks Ms. Scheer and MDR for this entertaining feature.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

Gerd Rohlfs (42) from Dortmund had, until recently, mostly good experiences buying classic cars – but for his last purchase he decided to consult Kurtz Investigations Dortmund to be on the safe side, a decision that proved to be the right one. Thus the IHK-certified investigators of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund were able to save Mr Rohlfs from fraud and major financial loss.

The collector from the Ruhr area is no naive newcomer when it comes to old and youngtimers. As the owner of four cars from the years 1968 to 1986 (two Porsches, a Mercedes and a Jaguar) he is almost a veteran; the hobby has shaped the client of our Dortmund detectives since his childhood. Therefore he grows suspicious when he finds an online listing offering a rare Porsche 924 special model at a suspiciously low price: the object of interest is a “Martini” Porsche, released in 1977 in the colours of the Porsche-Martini works team. These models are quite rare (only 3,000 units worldwide) and are accordingly traded at prices well above those of a standard production model: while ordinary Porsche 924s of the same year are already available for around €8,000, the Martini special model commands €25,000–30,000.

However, the client of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund finds a local listing claiming that an “original” Martini Porsche is available privately for under €20,000. From the outset Mr Rohlfs smells something fishy: “On the classic-car market bargains are the absolute exception – when cars are offered unusually cheaply, something is usually wrong.”

The client of our Dortmund private detectives contacts the private seller. “The man appeared respectable, by no means the type of dodgy used-car dealer from the corner. The car was in perfect condition, the mileage was plausible and the registration document was present. Above all, the specific features of the special model, the decorative stripes and the orange-red interior, seemed flawless and original,” says Rohlfs. The seller claimed to have purchased the car only shortly before and now needed, for family reasons, a vehicle with a little more space, hence the favourable price. So apparently everything was in order?

Our client signs the purchase contract and pays €10,000 in cash, because according to the seller there were still “many interested parties” – the remainder was to be brought on collection a week later. However, Rohlfs is uneasy: the car appears original, but as Rohlfs knows the authenticity of this special model can only be conclusively proven by an original new-car invoice bearing the remark “World Championship Edition” – and, unfortunately, no such document exists. Consequently, Rohlfs decides, “based on a gut feeling”, as he later describes it, to commission the IHK-certified investigators of Kurtz Investigations Dortmund to gather potential evidence of fraud.

his report from our Nuremberg colleagues makes the investigators of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund suspicious and prompts further enquiries. The investigators decide to observe the seller locally in Bochum for a certain period in order to collect additional findings – and indeed: the seller visits a used-car dealer several times who precisely matches the description of the acquaintance from the Nürnberger sale and who appears to be the driving force.

Directly after the surveillance, our Dortmund private investigators decide to take an assertive approach and confront the seller with the results of their enquiries. These are admissible in court because they are objective and corroborated by witness statements, a copy of the latest purchase contract and old adverts, and thus effectively corner the seller. Under the pressure of the evidence, he admits that he had acted on behalf of his “acquaintance” on several occasions as a private buyer and seller and that, on his behalf, he had sold lightly converted production models as more expensive special editions – a trend that has recently intensified, particularly with less expensive vehicles. “No serious buyer purchases a six-figure classic without an authenticity certificate,” comments the client of the Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund, “but converting an old Kadett C into a GT/E or a Golf I into a GTI, people do not scrutinise authenticity so pedantically … Fortunately I decided to commission the Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund to carry out the investigations; the investment was worthwhile: had the car been genuine, I would have made a bargain, but I am glad to have recovered my €10,000!”

Moreover, our client succeeds in obtaining reimbursement of the detectives’ fees from the “seller” under threat of reporting him to the authorities. He also warns them that he will keep a close eye on their activities in future and, where necessary, use the material gathered by the detectives of Kurtz Investigations Dortmund to put an end to the fraud.

To preserve discretion and the personal rights of clients and persons of interest, all names and places in this case report were changed beyond recognition.

Author: Gerrit Koehler

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund

A case that initially seemed entirely harmless recently took the detectives of Kurtz Investigations Dortmund on journeys across Germany and even across the Atlantic into the Mexican drug scene.

The wife of Ernesto Guevara (name changed for illustrative purposes) commissioned Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund in November to observe her husband. He claimed to be a chef in a Mexican restaurant and frequently disappeared at night, supposedly due to work obligations there. Unfortunately, the opening hours of this restaurant could be checked online: 00:00 is usually closing time.

At first, the client of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund suspected that Ernesto was meeting another woman at night. She conducted investigations in his environment, checked his mobile phone, and examined his emails. However, she could not find any evidence of alleged affairs. Soon, however, she noticed that Ernesto showered her with expensive gifts, wore high-end watches from Omega and Breitling, and even one day arrived directly from the parking lot of a three-room apartment in an Audi A4 sports car.

Barely 24 hours had passed since the initial briefing with our Dortmund detectives when the client informed us that Ernesto intended to "work" again that night. The detectives of Kurtz Investigations Dortmund followed Ernesto’s Audi to the doors of a well-known Cologne club. There, Ernesto withdrew to the VIP area with a few individuals who could cautiously be described as “dubious”. Unfortunately, detectives must remain outside in such cases.

To preserve discretion and the privacy of clients and target persons, all names and locations in this case report have been changed beyond recognition.

Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund

Meißener Straße 62

44139 Dortmund

Tel.: +49 231 8401 0065

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-dortmund