Detection of Expense-Account Fraud

Expense-account misuse, alongside “Blaumachen” (skiving) and working time fraud, ranks among the most common employee offences in German companies. It is so incredibly simple: submit a receipt – collect money; submit a mileage log – collect money; use the expense account – fund private errands. Internal checks are rare, and if necessary, there’s often a ready explanation – with Photoshop and similar tools, even amateurs can manipulate documents with little difficulty.

Through legally compliant investigative methods that ensure court-admissible evidence, Kurtz Investigations Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein uncovers expense-account fraud on behalf of employers: +49 431 3057 0053.

Expense Misuse and the Usual Suspects

Field staff in particular enjoy wide latitude in many companies when it comes to using and claiming expenses. It is human nature to exploit freedoms where they exist and to test boundaries where rules seem flexible — and expense misuse is no exception. The fraudster feels little remorse; the thought “It won’t be noticed” leads them to top up their private car and charge the fuel to the company vehicle, or to take friends out to dinner and claim the restaurant visit as a client meeting.

At first, in-house it may take a long time before anyone notices that one or more employees are enriching themselves at the company’s expense. Our experienced corporate investigators in Kiel know from experience, however, that perpetrators become bolder — and thus more conspicuous — with each successful fraud. Over time, significant losses can accumulate. For that reason, expense fraud should be investigated at the first sign of suspicion to stop it early. Our IHK-certified detectives for Neumünster, Rendsburg and across Schleswig-Holstein carry out offender identification and provide you with a court-admissible report. We are happy to advise you, without obligation, on case-specific options and associated investigative costs: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-kiel.de.

Surveillance of Employees on Company Premises

It is not only field staff who defraud their employers; office-based employees also know how to enrich themselves illegally. Examples — comparatively harmless: personal post is quietly slipped among company correspondence and processed by the franking machine. More common and sometimes very costly: materials or specialist books are bought for private needs and a company-purchased concrete mixer ends up in the purchaser’s garage rather than on the mobile service van. Purchases are often treated as flexible by those responsible.

Through meticulous research and professional surveillance, our experienced corporate detective agency in Kiel succeeds in many cases in producing court-admissible proof against fraudulent employees. While monitoring a field operative is relatively straightforward, observing an internal office employee is usually more complex. In such cases, a detective can be embedded as a new staff member within the client’s business, allowing them to approach the suspect unobtrusively in order to observe and discreetly document dishonest activity. Due to the considerable time involved, such an operational infiltration typically incurs higher costs than average investigations, but it usually yields substantial investigative benefits. We will be pleased to inform you about case-specific options in a non-binding consultation. If required, please email us at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-kiel.de or contact our Kiel private detectives by telephone: +49 431 3057 0053.