Investigations into Expense and Accounting Fraud

Accounting and expense fraud are becoming increasingly relevant in Essen, as the city’s former economic mono-structure has been dismantled and diversified. Particularly, the service sector has gained a dominant share of the city’s overall value creation, meaning that work no longer only takes place on the production line or in the workshop. Instead, there are many employees with considerable freedom. Great freedom requires great trust. Where this trust is breached, the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Essen come into play: +49 201 3840 9057.

Commercial Hub with Numerous Field Staff

The relationship between field staff, drivers, external contractors, and other company employees and their employer is built on trust. The lack of direct supervision and the relative independence of these groups can tempt some individuals to shift private expenses onto the company – car repairs for a daughter billed through a company vehicle, trips to visit a grandmother, or a date disguised as a business lunch. It becomes even worse when field employees fail to attend appointments, do no work, yet still submit full claims. This constitutes fraud, specifically accounting fraud – a criminal offense and, over time, a significant financial detriment to the company.

In Essen, 38,000 employees work in commerce for national and international corporations such as Aldi Nord, Deichmann, Medion, or Evonik. Many of these employees work in the field and perform their duties relatively independently and unobserved. Where freedom exists, misuse can occur.

An important aspect of Essen’s status as a commercial hub is the use of modern media, particularly under headings such as “E-Commerce” and “E-Business” in both B2C and B2B contexts. Commerce is no longer conducted solely through personal relationships and local physical advertising, but increasingly via the internet.

Fraudsters Cause €45 Million in Damage in Essen – Annually!

Property and forgery offences (fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation, document falsification, etc.) accounted for 27.75 percent of all criminal offences in Essen in 2014, causing damage totaling €45 million. Expense and accounting fraud, as subcategories of fraud under §263 of the German Criminal Code (StGB), are included in these statistics and damage sums.

If you suspect that you have been a victim of accounting fraud, the corporate detectives of Kurtz Investigations Essen can assist. We investigate the suspect’s environment and, if necessary, conduct surveillance to provide you with certainty. Kurtz Detective Agency Essen looks forward to your call: +49 201 3840 9057.