Sharp Practice | Identification and Conviction of Perpetrators

Coffee Trips and Alleged Prize Payouts

Everyone is familiar with annoying telephone calls, letters and emails that are often very general and unspecific, or at best only seemingly personal. They promise a large cash prize, the new iPhone 7 or an extraordinary coach trip through the beautiful Lüneburg Heath. What most recipients immediately delete to their spam folder or wastepaper basket is occasionally designed so convincingly that the addressee falls for it and enters into fraudulent contracts. At the latest upon arrival at the supposedly wonderful coach trip destination, the “winner” realises that they have fallen victim to a so-called coffee trip, during which allegedly high-quality products are offered at exorbitant prices and the disappointed clientele are often pressured into purchasing through claims of limited availability, unique special offers and psychological pressure. Or: the prize that is supposedly already “securely” in the email recipient’s pocket turns out to be a fee-based prize draw subscription on a dubious website. Only those who transfer money regularly, they are told, will be among the few selected winners. Naturally, no prize money is ever paid out. Once signed or purchased, it is difficult to recover the lost funds and hold the perpetrators accountable.

 

The German term Bauernfängerei describes a deceptive practice – in modern jurisprudence often even classified as fraud – based on the disadvantaged party entering into a contract whose contents they either do not fully understand or fail to read (keyword: small print). According to Wikipedia, the name originates from the Thirty Years' War (1618–48), when farmers were plied with alcohol until they signed recruitment contracts. As farmers at that time were almost without exception illiterate, they were unable to read the contractual contents, making matters easy for the recruiters. Today’s “sharp practitioners” no longer rely on illiteracy but on good faith, thereby particularly harming well-meaning individuals. If you have become a victim of modern sharp practice and now wish to gather evidence against the fraudsters or obtain knowledge of their identities, serviceable addresses and attachable assets, our private investigators in Essen will gladly undertake the necessary enquiries. Not only for business-economic reasons are we committed to putting an end to such shameless fraud rings. Consult Kurtz Detective Agency Essen free of charge and without obligation: +49 201 3840 9057.

False Threats and Worthless Offers

Recently, not only spam emails promising false prize payouts have been circulated, but also websites advertising services for a seemingly “unbeatable” fee. The catch: the same services are available free of charge on other websites. Those unfamiliar with the medium of the internet may, for example, purchase or even subscribe to a chargeable Flash player that is made available free of charge by the manufacturer itself. The offers in the spam emails therefore provide no benefit whatsoever to the user, which is why such providers are referred to as worthless service providers. The victims ultimately pay for nothing and permanently lose their hard-earned money. The perpetrators pre-empt potential claims for damages by asserting in the event of complaints (usually falsely) that the contract signed or concluded through the online purchase/subscription is legally valid and that they regularly win court proceedings against suing “customers”. The defrauded parties feel helpless and hopelessly at the mercy of the offenders. Yet this is often a misconception, as resistance can indeed be worthwhile. Our commercial investigators in Essen secure evidence and, where appropriate, confront the perpetrators. Should the matter not be resolved amicably even after our engagement, the court-admissible evidence we obtain at least enables promising legal proceedings.

 

Another scenario involving worthless service providers: the perpetrators create fictitious job advertisements and receive applications containing personal data such as names, dates of birth, postal and email addresses, telephone numbers and educational background. Using this information, offers – and above all threatening messages – can be tailored individually, thereby increasing both temptation/threat and apparent credibility. The recipient – addressed by correct name and address – is, for example, urged to transfer payment because they allegedly used a service of Company X, failed to settle an overdue instalment (including interest) for their last purchase with a frequently used retailer, or must pay a fine for illegally downloaded music. Through mass distribution, the perpetrators rightly rely on the probability that among the many recipients there will indeed be a Karstadt customer, an eBay bidder or a user of illegal download sites. If the amount is not paid, they threaten entries with the German credit bureau (Schufa), debt collection letters or even legal proceedings. The victims panic, transfer the money out of fear that the threats may materialise and only later realise that they have fallen for a scam.

What Exactly Can Our Essen Detective Team Do for You?

Fraud is the number one reason for engaging our detectives in Essen – whether in private matters (for example maintenance fraud or infidelity) or in the commercial sector (sick leave abuse, expense fraud, etc.). Accordingly experienced and trained are our investigators in clarifying fraud cases. Enquiries can be initiated immediately after engagement. Our IT forensic specialists trace the digital fingerprint of extortion emails back to their origin; our researchers determine detailed data concerning the perpetrators as outlined above. By creating cover identities and infiltrating individual investigators into coffee trips or similar events, the procedures of such operations and the persons involved can be documented – even if the organisers on site are usually not the true masterminds but merely employees.

 

If desired, we confront the fraudsters directly following the investigation and attempt to persuade them to repay the embezzled funds out of court. As companies in particular often prefer to handle crimes committed against them discreetly, Kurtz Commercial Detective Agency Essen is highly experienced in achieving amicable settlements through perpetrator confrontation (see article “notarial acknowledgement of debt”).

Have You Become a Victim of Sharp Practice? We Can Help.

Have you or someone close to you fallen victim to sharp practitioners? Were you pressured into hastily signing a contract or making purchases and are now trapped in a subscription scheme? Would you like to terminate a contract and/or recover your money but cannot reach those responsible? Then contact our private detective agency in Essen. We provide free advice regarding the possible deployment of our investigators and can take immediate action on your behalf: research, infiltration and surveillance are just some of the methods we use to help ensure justice is done for you. The evidence we obtain is provided to you in the form of a written investigation report. In addition, our detectives are available to testify as witnesses should court proceedings against the perpetrators ensue.

 

You can reach us for consultation and operational purposes by email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-essen.de or by telephone at the following number: +49 201 3840 9057.

Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

 

Kurtz Detective Agency Essen

Weidkamp 180

D-45356 Essen

Tel.: +49 201 3840 9057

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

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