Payroll and Expense Fraud

The investigation of fraud committed by employees in internal and external service forms part of the daily work of our IHK-certified corporate detectives in Bielefeld. The investigators at Kurtz Detective Agency are familiar with the tricks and employment law loopholes used by offenders and provide affected companies with court-admissible evidence: +49 521 2567 0055.

Fraud by Field Staff – External Investigations

For employees working on a wage basis in field service (for example, customer service staff or tradespeople), falsification of working time entries seems to have become an everyday occurrence in many places. We certainly do not intend to condemn any specific occupational group, yet it cannot be denied that payroll fraud among field employees occurs with conspicuous frequency. Tradespeople, for instance, claim to have stayed longer than scheduled at a construction site in order to record overtime hours they did not actually work (overtime fraud). Customer representatives spend one hour with a client but record two, three or even more on their timesheets. Depending on the company’s billing model, this may constitute not only fraud against the employer but also against the customer if those unworked hours are charged. A customer disadvantaged in such a way will unquestionably avoid the company in future and, quite certainly, not recommend it – quite the opposite.

Through discreet observation of suspects and cover interviews with clients and other relevant persons who may possess useful information, our experienced Bielefeld detectives can prove falsified records.

Fraud by Office Staff – Internal Investigations

While field employees are often the main focus of suspicion in cases of billing fraud, they are by no means the only ones. An employee who appears to stay longer than colleagues but leaves shortly after official closing time while claiming several hours of overtime is just as guilty of fraud as a worker who spends working hours on personal matters such as phone calls, internet browsing, messaging or chatting, later completing their actual tasks and charging this time as overtime.

Proving this type of time-reporting fraud requires internal investigations conducted by qualified commercial investigators. In such cases, one of our detectives can be covertly introduced into the company as a supposed new employee, discreetly establishing contact with the suspect in order to gain their trust. These investigations can only be successfully performed by trained and experienced professionals – such as our private detectives in Bielefeld. When embedding an investigator into a company, a careful balance of interests must be maintained, as this technique is often time-consuming and associated with corresponding costs. We will gladly provide you with detailed and non-binding advice in an initial consultation. Send us an email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-bielefeld.de or call us.

Unusual Vehicle Repair Frequency and Other Irregularities – Expense Fraud by Employees

A popular "hobby" among field staff is charging the company expense account for private purposes (expense fraud). A sense of wrongdoing is rarely found here – the prevailing attitude tends to be "no one will notice". Employees refuel their private vehicles, take their families out for dinner, or post personal mail – all at the company’s expense. Depending on the company’s size, the frequency of such incidents and the number of offenders, the cumulative damage can become a serious financial burden for the affected business.

Our qualified corporate investigators in Bielefeld discreetly observe the suspect or suspects and document fraudulent acts in legally admissible written and photographic form. We will gladly advise you without obligation regarding our options for employee verification. In addition, our pre-employment background checks can help you reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises later on. For enquiries, please use our contact form or call us on +49 521 2567 0055.