Detective Blog of Kurtz Investigations Stuttgart, Germany
Trust is usually an indispensable foundation upon which relationships are built. But what if this trust is shaken and the life you have built together suddenly seems on the verge of collapsing?
Infidelity is one of the most common causes of separation worldwide. Numerous studies on the subject agree on this point, even though their figures vary greatly (particularly depending on the study’s purpose, as well as the age, number and origin of the participants). Yet one old cliché is consistently confirmed: men cheat more often than women. In a German study from 2018, one in four male respondents admitted to having cheated on at least one of their partners – among women, only one in eight confessed to such an affair.
The differences between countries are striking. In southern European nations such as Italy, Spain and France, more than 50 per cent of men surveyed regularly admit to having been unfaithful at least once. The figures for women are consistently much lower. However, this statistical phenomenon is unlikely to reflect reality – neither from the experience of our infidelity investigators in Stuttgart (+49 711 7153 0028) nor with regard to general population distribution.
Unreliable Statistics Owing to Pronounced Gender Variance in the Social Stigmatisation of Infidelity
Around one fifth of Germans live alone; yet it is statistically difficult to determine how many of these single households are actually occupied by people without a relationship. Especially younger and older people often live alone despite being in relationships: trainees, students and newly partnered widows and widowers. Within the group of single households, the gender distribution is approximately balanced. The large variations between men and women in response to whether they have ever been unfaithful could be explained by the fact that there are extreme differences in the number of sexual partners among women. For where else, one might ask, do all the single women come from with whom partnered men have affairs? Another – and probably more accurate – explanation, however, is that both sexes provide false statements in opposite directions because the social stigma of infidelity is perceived very differently between men and women.
Unfaithful men are often proud of their extramarital relationships, frequently discussing them openly with friends and expecting approval or admiration. With this trophy mentality in mind, some male respondents will have admitted to infidelity of which they were never actually guilty. Women who cheat on their partners, on the other hand, still face much more negative social consequences in twenty-first-century Central Europe, which can even affect their professional lives. And this despite the fact that such moral condemnation stems from late antique to medieval (Christian) morality, whose fundamental flaws have been evident at least since the Age of Enlightenment – and yet stubbornly persist to this day. Accordingly, many women are far more reticent to discuss this subject.
Taken together, this results in a statistical phenomenon that neither reflects the gender distribution of clients of our Stuttgart detectives nor of the subjects under investigation or the results of our enquiries. We are inclined to conclude: the statistical phenomenon has no equivalent in reality. In other words, men and women are unfaithful about equally often.
Opinions on monogamy are deeply divided. Undoubtedly, it is a social construct that does not correspond to human sexual biology. Yet trust and emotional security are likewise among our basic human needs.
Guide for Doubtful Partners: The First Signs of Infidelity
Suppose you personally doubt your partner’s fidelity. Betrayal of the relationship is therefore not yet a confirmed fact but merely a troubling suspicion. How should you proceed? As a detective agency with extensive experience in cases of infidelity, it would be natural for Kurtz Private Detective Agency Stuttgart to advise you to contact us straight away. However, we have certain moral as well as legal duties of care towards suspected partners who – in the event of a case – become what we call “subjects of investigation”. There are few detectives who take pleasure in failed relationships or who enjoy subjecting someone to extensive surveillance when there are no indications that the observed person has done anything wrong. Therefore, before contacting our private investigators in Stuttgart, we recommend that you check whether your uneasy feeling can be supported by specific, identifiable signs (see next section).
You should also refrain from making hasty accusations, which may quickly be dismissed as baseless jealousy, before you can present concrete evidence or at least tangible clues. Some critical cases of lost trust can be saved with the help of relationship experts such as Boris Bergmann, a social psychologist who offers support on his website for repairing broken love. Yet before the situation escalates to the point of making serious and potentially relationship-damaging allegations, it is usually wiser to gain certainty first.
Ask yourself whether the following signs apply to your partner:
- Your partner’s phone and laptop have suddenly become off-limits to you.
- He or she leaves the room to take calls and even takes the phone into the bathroom.
- Your partner has lost interest in affection, and your sex life has become less frequent and passionate.
- Your partner spends unusually long periods of time away from home and gives dubious explanations for it.
- It no longer bothers your partner if you have little time for them or even travel alone for a while.
- Your partner’s appearance has suddenly become much more important; he or she spends considerable time on grooming and personal care.
If one, several or all of these signs apply, yet you are afraid of destroying your relationship with a premature accusation, professional assistance from the private investigators of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart can help you to dispel your fears – or at least provide the clarity you long for: +49 711 7153 0028.
Note
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart does not guarantee the accuracy or applicability of information found on linked third-party websites.
Editor: Patrick Kurtz
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
30
Mär
Prohibited Subletting After Fire Incident
In the present case, Kurtz Detective Agency for Reutlingen was commissioned by a private client who owned a large commercial property and rented it to a hotel operator. After a fire had broken out on the top floor of the building, the landlord was prohibited from allowing rooms on that floor to be sublet to hotel guests or other persons. Understandably, the hotel then claimed a rent reduction from our client, and he agreed without objection. A few weeks later, however, the landlord received concrete indications that the affected floor was nevertheless still being let to guests – while the hotel continued to benefit from the rent reduction.
To verify this suspicion and to obtain legally admissible proof of the rental fraud should it be confirmed, the property owner engaged our commercial investigation agency for Reutlingen (+49 711 7153 0028).
Infiltration of the Target Property Through Room Rental
During the preliminary reconnaissance of the hotel surroundings, our investigators not only assessed the observation conditions but also checked whether there were any external signs indicating that the fire-damaged floor was being rented out. However, no such clues – such as open windows or lights – could be identified. After completing this preparatory stage, our private investigator for Reutlingen entered the hotel and enquired at reception, posing as a “guest”, about rooms for the coming night. He insisted on being allocated a room on the floor below the affected one, as this location appeared most likely to allow him to hear any noises from potential occupants above. To achieve this goal – and in the hope of perhaps even being offered a room on the fire-damaged floor – the detective asked to view three available rooms on different floors and was thus able to make an informed choice.
Back at the reception desk, the investigator noticed a notepad listing various room numbers. Behind these numbers were names, but they were written so small that the private investigator could not decipher them. Four to six of these names were written beside room numbers belonging to the fire-damaged floor. When asked whether there was a room with a view of the Achalm hill, the receptionist replied that such a view was only possible from the top floor, but that no rooms were currently available there. At that very moment, he drew a white A4 sheet from under the counter and placed it over the notepad, completely covering the room numbers and names.
Already at the reception, an interesting clue presented itself: names were handwritten next to the rooms on the closed floor.
Clear Indications of Continued Guest Rental
Just seconds after entering his room, the private investigator from our Detective Agency for Reutlingen unmistakably heard muffled coughing and the creaking of footsteps from the floor above. He also noted that the hotel doors and walls were very thin. Since there was a risk that conversations could be overheard from outside, the detective left the hotel whenever he needed to speak with the operations management or the client. Throughout the day, he repeatedly heard noises from the questioned floor that clearly suggested occupancy.
In the evening, a van with a company logo arrived in the hotel car park. Four young men in dirty work clothes got out, carried sports and day bags into the hotel and conversed in Polish. Inside, they proceeded to the top floor, split into two pairs and entered separate rooms on the “forbidden” floor. Subsequently, our corporate investigator for Reutlingen used various pretexts to move around the hotel and gather additional evidence of the illegal letting of the top floor. He clearly heard television sounds from three rooms and conversation between two or more people from another. When darkness fell, he conducted another inspection and observed light shining under the doors of three relevant rooms. From outside the building, he could also see three illuminated rooms and one dark one, in which a middle-aged man was smoking at an open window – against both house rules and fire safety regulations. The man was talking loudly with another person who must also have been in the room but was not visible from below. All relevant observations were photographically documented by our commercial investigator.
At Least Eight Overnight Guests on the Closed Floor
The following morning did not promise a pleasant start to the day for the infiltrated observer of our detective team for Reutlingen, as he had to take up a standing position overlooking the staircase from 05:30 in order to record every person descending from the top floor. Prolonged standing in the same spot ranks among the most uncomfortable tasks during surveillance operations, as it strains the feet, promotes fatigue (due to reduced blood flow to the brain) and causes back and leg pain. However, the investigator hoped for considerable activity in the stairwell as guests came down for breakfast, and thus willingly accepted the strain. Barely fifteen minutes after the start of the observation, the first sounds from above were heard: repeated floor creaks and the clicking of footsteps. Soon after came voices, the slamming and locking of doors and steps in the stairwell – the four presumably Polish workmen from the previous day were coming down. They had therefore spent the night on the prohibited floor. A quarter of an hour later, another workman with the logo of a different company emerged from the questioned floor. By 07:00, two civilians and another workman had also descended from there.
When there was a pause in activity above, the commercial investigator took the opportunity to make a quick inspection of the breakfast room. There, in addition to various guests from unrelated floors, he encountered two of the workmen and the two civilians from the top floor. The workmen spoke German, and their conversation clearly revealed that they would be staying another night.
A Cleaner for an Empty Floor?
After checking the breakfast room, the investigator from our private detective agency for Reutlingen resumed his observation of the stairwell but encountered no more people from the top floor. Between times, he conducted inspection rounds through the questioned floor but found no further signs of occupancy. Around 09:30, however, a cleaner entered the supposedly unoccupied floor and began cleaning the rooms. During this, the detective not only managed to look into the room above his own and discover clear evidence of recent overnight use, but also engaged the cleaner in conversation under a pretext and extracted relevant information. She confirmed that rooms on the closed floor could indeed be booked and were mostly reserved long-term by companies accommodating their employees, for instance while on site for installation or construction work. The private investigator asked specifically whether he could see a room from which one could view the Achalm hill. The lady readily unlocked two rooms that offered such a view and proudly showed him the outlook. These rooms, she said, were particularly popular and usually fully booked. They had evidently been occupied until just a few hours earlier (judging by the smell, rather just a few minutes earlier), as unmade beds and scattered clothing clearly indicated recent use.
Our Detective Agency for Reutlingen continued documenting the unauthorised use of the rooms over the following weeks through two further overnight stays conducted by different investigators. Ultimately, the illegal subletting – and thus the rental fraud committed by the hotel operator – was proven beyond any doubt.
All names and locations have, of course, been completely altered to ensure the protection of both client and subjects of investigation.
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
01
Aug
Stalker Convicted of Harassment Resulting in Death for the First Time in Germany
In the past year, the Regional Court of Stuttgart convicted a stalker for the first time nationwide of harassment resulting in death. The imposed prison sentence of five and a half years even exceeded the prosecutor’s demand, which had been limited to five years. The 48-year-old perpetrator from Hamburg had harassed his 43-year-old ex-wife from the time of their separation in October 2014 until November 2015 by threatening her and her family, ambushing her, slandering her at her workplace and with the police, repeatedly slashing her car tyres, and terrorising her with up to 111 messages per day – all documented in the Stuttgarter Nachrichten. As a result of this extensive stalking, the woman attempted suicide twice and ultimately died during the second attempt by hanging herself in her basement in Filderstadt. The court considered it proven that the accused was guilty of causing her depression and subsequent suicide through his psychological terror, even though eight months had passed since the last verifiable stalking act – a potentially groundbreaking decision for all victims of harassment.
While most stalking cases cannot be resolved satisfactorily for the victims and the perpetrators consequently go unpunished, the family of the victim in this Stuttgart case received delayed justice. Nevertheless, the tragic suicide of the 43-year-old might have been prevented if the provisions of the new anti-stalking law, enacted only in 2016, had already been in force at that time and thus allowed stricter official measures against the perpetrator. It must be noted, however, that the stalker proved to be very defiant, as not even five weeks of pre-trial detention could prevent him from continuing his harassment.
Our detectives from Stuttgart conduct investigations into stalking cases on a regular basis and can therefore draw on extensive experience. Practice shows that early detective intervention helps to nip stalking in the bud and to prevent both psychological and physical harm. We know exactly which types of evidence are crucial for securing a conviction and are thus well trained to assist victims of stalking in reclaiming a normal, harassment-free daily life – gladly for you as well: +49 711 7153 0028.
Stalking Poses a Danger to Mind and Body
Many victims of harassment – mostly women – are unaware that continuous intimidation and terror through calls, visits, messages, emails and other forms not only threaten their mental well-being but also their physical safety. It is not uncommon for stalkers, driven by unreciprocated love and hatred, to become physically violent or to cause harm through sabotage: slashing tyres, tampering with brakes on bicycles, motorbikes or cars, etc. As seen in the Stuttgart case mentioned above, repeated threats, text-message terror and slander alone may suffice to turn a once life-affirming, happy woman in her forties into a desperate suicide victim. Police and courts are sometimes powerless when stalkers simply refuse to let go of their victims, and all too often convictions are handed down only when it is already too late and the victim has suffered severe harm or even death. Through the work of private detectives from Stuttgart, court-admissible evidence can be gathered at an early stage, putting police and prosecutors under pressure to act.
Victims of stalking frequently wish to avoid public attention, particularly as the perpetrators are often people from their immediate circle: ex-partners, colleagues, friends, rejected admirers. Female complainants in particular are quickly dismissed as oversensitive or paranoid and thus not taken seriously. Especially in the workplace, but even when dealing with authorities, they are often met with ridicule by colleagues or police officers. You can rest assured, however, that the detective agency based in Stuttgart handles stalking cases with the seriousness and sensitivity they require. Every suspicion of stalking is taken seriously and investigated in order to help those affected regain control of their own lives and protect themselves from further harassment.
Who Becomes a Stalker – and Why?
Presumably, almost everyone possesses at least a small amount of stalking potential: many women have at some point scrutinised comments from other women on their partner’s Facebook wall, clicked on their profiles and asked mutual friends about them; some people follow a celebrity they happen to spot for several hundred metres to take a selfie; others listen with relish to the loud arguments of a neighbouring couple who always fight with the window open. Interest in other people – particularly friends and relatives – is natural and human. Who could better understand the urge to know whether one’s partner is really away on a business trip and not on a romantic getaway, or whether an employee is engaged in an illegal sideline job, than detectives from Stuttgart who deal with such matters every day?
However, when personal or professional interest turns into an obsessive fixation on a particular person, it is no longer normal or understandable. Stalkers can appear harmless and inconspicuous for a lifetime, yet suddenly reveal sides of their personality that no one around them would ever have expected. While ex-partners, friends and colleagues often act out of unrequited love and the hatred that stems from it, there are unfortunately also cases where the perpetrator lives in such a delusional world that he kills the person he loves in order to preserve eternal love and protect her from others. Every rejection by the victim is then perceived as shyness, which only intensifies the stalker’s obsession and passion. Anyone who even suspects they might be the target of such a stalker should act quickly: investigations by detectives in Baden-Württemberg can reveal in a short time whether the case involves a stalker who must be legally restrained or merely an over-eager admirer who can be firmly turned away with a clear NO.
A Stalker Is Making Your Life Hell? Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart Can Help.
Do you feel watched or followed? Have you been harassed? Do you receive (anonymous) emails and letters threatening you, your family or your life? Is there someone in your environment whom you cannot stop from contacting you? Then do not hesitate to seek free and non-binding advice from private investigators based in Stuttgart: +49 711 7153 0028.
It is also important to note that private individuals often do not know which pieces of evidence might later be useful in court, or they do not initially expect legal proceedings and therefore delete many of the stalker’s text messages, emails and letters in an attempt to avoid further reminders of the harassment – please keep all such material safe and let us review it.
Author: Maya Grünschloß, PhD
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
21
Apr
Search for the Co-Owner of a Property in Sarajevo
Our client from Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, let us call him Mr Horvat, had inherited a property of considerable value in the capital and wanted to sell it. His problem: a Ms Anisa Babić had been listed in the land register as a co-owner since the 1950s – without her consent, Mr Horvat could not sell the property. As he had no contact details for Ms Babić and only knew that she had at some point moved to Germany, somewhere in the Baden region, he commissioned our detective agency for Karlsruhe* to conduct a person search – quite a demanding task, as the information available was very limited (neither a date of birth nor a former address nor even a place of residence was known).
No Person in Germany Matching the Known Parameters
The lead researcher of Kurtz Investigations determined several people named “Babić” in connection with various locations in Baden-Württemberg who might have been in contact with the woman in question. However, none of these persons could provide any information, not even those sharing the same surname. All further investigations by our detective for Karlsruhe using the available data indicated that the sought person had never existed in Germany. Nevertheless, he was able to locate a woman who matched almost all the criteria, except for a deviation in the spelling of her surname – recorded in German registers as “Babiz”. Was this merely a clerical error by the German authorities? This woman had been born in the late 1920s in Tuzla, then part of Yugoslavia, appeared in German registers from the 1960s onwards (including with the status “married”) and died in 2001 at an unknown place. While it was not clear where the death had been registered, a probate file existed at the Probate Court/District Court of Karlsruhe.
Thus, the person search conducted by our private detective for Karlsruhe was successful. However, as the woman in question could no longer be consulted, it was now up to us to identify the heir or rightful beneficiary in the next investigative step.
Result of the Probate Research: Son as Sole Heir
With the previously obtained file reference of the probate record, a power of attorney from the client including a written justification for the request, and the Bosnian land register extract for the property, an investigator from our private detective agency for Karlsruhe went to the District Court to inspect the file and thereby determine the heir’s identity. After a reasonable waiting time, our detective was called in by a court officer and presented his request. The officer then produced a microfilm containing the will of the deceased Ms Babić. It named her son, born in Germany in 1961, as sole heir – making him the point of contact for our client, Mr Horvat.
The probate file also contained an address for the heir in Würzburg. Upon inquiry, however, the court officer informed our detective for Karlsruhe that this address was outdated according to the residents’ register; based on the last re-registration from 2003, the son himself now lived in the fan-shaped city, in a flat he had inherited from his late mother.
It was quite fitting that this investigation led us to a court in Karlsruhe, as the city is known as the “Residence of the Law”, being the only one to host all the highest levels of German jurisdiction (including the Federal Court of Justice and the Federal Constitutional Court).
Determining the Contact Details of the Heir
A brief telephone directory search even produced a landline number for the heir, but when the investigator called, he was met with the message “no connection under this number”. Consequently, our Karlsruhe detective decided on the spur of the moment to drive to the registered address of the person sought, only a few kilometres away. However, he did not meet him there, as none of the doorbells in the block of flats bore his name. By questioning neighbours, the investigator learned that the heir had moved to the countryside several years ago. The flat apparently still belonged to him but was now rented out to a family who were likely to know the heir’s contact details.
Accordingly, the private investigator rang the doorbell of Ms Babić’s former flat, but no one answered. After a reasonable waiting period without the return of the residents or new findings from further questioning, our private detective for Karlsruhe decided, in the interest of cost efficiency, to end the operation for the time being and later attempt to contact the family from the office using a telephone number found online. After several attempts, he succeeded in reaching them, but the tenants were understandably cautious and unwilling to pass on the heir’s data. Instead, they promised to contact him, inform him of our concern, and forward our callback number (+49 711 7153 0028). In coordination with Mr Horvat, the operations management of our detective agency for Karlsruhe decided to wait a week to see whether the heir would get in touch before commissioning a paid address search; after all, the man would likely be very interested in making contact himself, as it is not every day that one learns of an unknown inheritance of property. Accordingly, the expected call came the very next morning, and we were finally able to establish contact between the two heirs of the property in Sarajevo.
Nationwide Land Register Data Research by Kurtz Detective Agency
By the way: given a legitimate interest, Kurtz Detective Agency provides land register information on properties throughout Germany (ownership details, contact data for owners and, where applicable, administrators, plot data, mortgages and land charges, and much more): +49 711 7153 0028.
All names and places have, of course, been altered beyond recognition to protect the client and the subjects of investigation.
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
14
Feb
Legal Proceedings or an Out-of-Court Settlement?
Many companies face an alarming amount of inventory shrinkage and lost revenue during their annual stocktaking. Unfortunately, this often results not only from staff negligence or incorrect stock records but also from criminal acts committed by employees. Such was the case for a respected food retailer in Stuttgart who, during last year’s inventory, discovered that non-perishable goods worth more than €100,000 had gone missing and could not be traced in any sales or inventory lists. While minor discrepancies might have been overlooked, these substantial losses shocked both the warehouse manager and the management board, leading them to engage our private investigators in Stuttgart to monitor internal and external transport routes. Our detectives discreetly followed selected delivery vans on random days to identify which employees were embezzling goods and selling them on illegally.
Since two employees had already drawn suspicion and been warned, our Stuttgart detectives focused on them in particular. The company’s main goal was not only to identify and legally prove the perpetrators’ guilt but also to avoid lengthy dismissal and compensation proceedings by having the offenders sign a notarial acknowledgement of debt, thus resolving the matter quickly and efficiently.
Notarial Acknowledgement of Debt: Definition and Advantages
A notarial acknowledgement of debt is a document certified by a notary public, legally confirming that one person (the debtor/offender) acknowledges their debt to another (the creditor/victim). Once signed, the debtor generally has no further legal grounds to dispute their obligation. Such acknowledgements are often proposed to resolve cases swiftly, secure prompt compensation payments, and spare all parties from drawn-out court proceedings. Unlike court payment orders, a notarial acknowledgement effectively excludes subsequent legal challenges. According to our Stuttgart detective agency’s experience, there are still some lawyers who attempt to have such acknowledgements overturned by claiming their clients signed under duress – for instance, through threats. However, we have never encountered a single case where this manoeuvre deceived the creditors or a court. The reason is simple: our private investigation agency always ensures that any discussions surrounding a notarial acknowledgement take place in the presence of multiple witnesses, including impartial ones such as the certifying notary, whose testimony carries far greater credibility than that of a convicted offender.
Our corporate investigators in Stuttgart have repeatedly found that, especially in sensitive cases involving reputable companies seeking to protect their reputation and avoid additional legal expenses, a notarial acknowledgement of debt is the preferred option. It often benefits both parties: creditors receive their money faster (frequently through instalment arrangements linked directly to the acknowledgement), while debtors can avoid criminal prosecution and, depending on the case, imprisonment. In addition, both sides save on legal and court costs.
It should also be noted that there are private written acknowledgements of debt that are not certified by a notary. While these are legally valid, they cannot be enforced immediately and must first go through the usual judicial process. For this reason – and due to the witness issue mentioned above – Kurtz Private Investigation Agency Stuttgart always advises clients to have acknowledgements certified by a notary. We support you throughout the entire process: from case analysis, evidence gathering, and suspect interviews including negotiation of repayment terms, to the final notarisation with the notary of your or our choice.
Thinking Pragmatically: Better Compensation in the Bank Than the Thief Behind Bars
In the case mentioned above, our investigators achieved the first success after just a few days of surveillance: the two suspicious drivers were observed not only delivering goods to customers but also to three private addresses where food boxes were quickly and discreetly dropped off. These handovers, usually taking place at dusk near the end of their shifts, were documented by our surveillance team with photographic evidence. Further research revealed the identities of those receiving the misappropriated goods.
After the pattern repeated several times, our Stuttgart detectives, at the client’s request, confronted each of the two drivers separately under the presence of witnesses and presented them with the evidence of their misconduct. Confronted with clear photographic and video proof, both confessed immediately and admitted to diverting increasing quantities of food over the years for private buyers and events. They each agreed to terminate their employment and to sign a notarial acknowledgement of debt. The client thus obtained an enforceable right to compensation – including reimbursement of investigation costs – without any court proceedings. Both parties agreed on an instalment plan over 36 months to repay the total amount. In exchange, the company refrained from pressing criminal charges against the drivers themselves, though charges were filed against the recipients of the stolen goods.
Notarial Acknowledgement of Debt: The Fastest Route to Settle Any Claim
Is your company also suffering from major financial losses that cannot be explained by standard inventory errors or normal shrinkage but rather point to embezzlement or illicit resale? Do you suspect that one of your debtors possesses hidden assets to evade creditors or tax authorities?
Then contact our IHK-certified detectives in Stuttgart. Through surveillance, employee infiltration, covert questioning, and other investigative methods, we help you gather court-admissible evidence against offenders. If you wish for a swift and efficient resolution, our experienced investigators will also persuade the debtor that signing a notarial acknowledgement of debt is the best and simplest solution. For further information, please contact our detective agency in Stuttgart at +49 711 7153 0028.
All names and locations have been altered beyond recognition to protect the identities of clients and subjects involved.
Verfasserin: Maya Grünschloß, PhD
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
12
Sep
Various Clues Raise Suspicion of Infidelity
The ex-boyfriend crossing paths with the current partner on her way home, a picture of a naked man from the neck down found on her phone, “girls’ nights” every week – all of this seemed strange to Andreas R. from Esslingen am Neckar. His partner’s explanations appeared to him to be hastily improvised excuses. For this reason, Andreas R. contacted the detectives of our detective agency for Stuttgart and requested surveillance of his partner by one of our private investigators the next time she mentioned a “ladies’ night”.
Surveillance During a Screening of The Martian
On the morning before the planned surveillance, our client informed the operations management that his partner claimed to be going to see The Martian starring Matt Damon together with a friend. By chance, Mr R. had also found two online tickets for exactly that film in the Gloria cinema on Königstraße in Stuttgart. The detective agency therefore immediately booked an additional ticket for the assigned investigator and managed to secure a seat diagonally behind the target person with a good view of her activities.
To maintain discretion, the surveillance was not to begin at the target person’s home but only in the cinema itself – since the client’s budget covered only one investigator, compromises had to be made. Mr R. counted on his partner actually showing up for the cinema visit.
The Martian was among the major box-office hits of 2015. The main character finds himself alone on our neighbouring planet after an accident at a human Mars base – a modern-day Robinson Crusoe on Mars.
Target Arrives with a Male Companion
When the client of our Stuttgart detective agency texted to report that his partner was now getting ready to go out, the investigator went to the cinema and kept the entrance area under observation. The screening had already begun – the commercials were over, the last trailers were playing – when the target person rushed into the cinema with an unknown man and entered the auditorium. Both took the seats indicated on the printed tickets. Our private detective waited a few moments before slipping into his own seat at a loud moment in the film to avoid drawing attention.
The darkened 3D glasses made observation somewhat difficult, but from his favourable position, the observer could keep both targets clearly in sight. They shared a small bag of popcorn; no other notable behaviour was seen at first. When the film’s main character, Mark Watney, was hit by flying debris during a Martian storm and disappeared into the darkness, the client’s partner flinched and clung to her companion, who remained unmoved.
The Couple Exchange Affection
The film’s surprisingly humorous protagonist frequently elicited loud laughter from the target person, who often sought eye contact with her companion – apparently reciprocated – and laughed along with him more quietly. The two appeared very familiar to our Stuttgart private investigator.
In the calmer midsection of the film, the man placed his arm around the target person, who nestled against him. When Mark Watney, in a spectacular rescue manoeuvre, grabbed the hand of his commander in Mars orbit and escaped certain death, the woman removed her glasses and kissed her companion on the mouth. During the end credits, they continued to kiss and exchange further affection.
Bar Visit and Subsequent Trip to a Residential Building
After the film, the couple went to a bar on Königstraße for a drink. Sitting close together, they exchanged intimate looks, kissed, and touched each other discreetly.
When leaving the bar, they quickly boarded a city bus that the investigator narrowly missed. Fortunately, several taxis were waiting nearby, and our detective followed the bus immediately. A few stops later, the couple disembarked and entered a residential building arm in arm. The investigator noted the address and photographed the doorbell panel. After consulting with the client, he ended the surveillance.
Evaluation of the Surveillance by Our Stuttgart Detective
The next day, the investigator met with Andreas R. to review the results of the surveillance. The client, who had not previously had a picture of his partner’s ex-boyfriend, confirmed that the unknown man was indeed that same ex-partner. Thus, the surveillance by our Stuttgart detective agency confirmed that the client’s partner was engaged in an affair with her former boyfriend.
All names and locations have been changed in full to protect clients and target persons.
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
13
Okt
Bad enough when criminal activity and fraud in private life cause emotional pain and suffering – but even worse when the consequences extend far beyond that, endangering the fate of an entire company along with the livelihoods and capital tied to it. Such was the case in a recent incident that left even the detectives of the Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart nearly speechless in view of its audacity and scale. Thanks to the quick and prudent reaction of the affected company owner, V. Häberle, a serious case of industrial espionage ended relatively well, as he had turned to the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart in time. This allowed our corporate investigators and IT forensics experts to avert damages worth millions for him and his company.
Fuel cell powered by methanol
Häberle is the founder and owner of a medium-sized Swabian company that focuses heavily on fuel cell technology research and development. “A fiercely competitive field,” he explains to our Stuttgart investigators, “fuel cells are considered THE energy converters of the future!” The technology has tremendous advantages, especially in automotive engineering – not unimportant in a region where many of the country’s car manufacturers and suppliers are based.
Innovative companies like Häberle’s, focused on research and development, rely on bringing new technologies to market first – an essential factor for their economic success. The competition is fierce, and moral boundaries appear flexible. Company secrets had been spied on and passed to a competitor. At first, the case seemed straightforward: unsurprisingly, the spy was caught, Häberle says, “He actually has my full trust – though he’s still quite new here …” The employee in question (25) was the son of a personal friend and university colleague, and Häberle had trusted him on that basis alone. The young man, employed only six months, had apparently passed key internal data and research results to a competitor. What was lacking, however, were court-admissible proofs and clarification of certain inconsistencies – both of which the Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart was tasked with addressing.
Everything initially pointed to a classic case of industrial espionage. Internal checks had shown that the employee had accessed protected company data multiple times from his workstation and copied documents and technical diagrams to a USB stick. The actual transmission appeared to have taken place through other channels – which ones and to whom, the Stuttgart corporate investigators were now to find out.
As the first step, the IT forensics specialists of the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart were called in. What followed went far beyond typical detective work: to avoid arousing suspicion within the company, Häberle granted our IT experts access to the workstations under the pretext of an external “IT routine check”. This discreet approach prevented mistrust and allowed the suspect to continue “working” as usual – increasing the chances of collecting usable evidence. After days of meticulous work, our IT specialists discovered that the data had been copied to a smartphone. Within legal limits, they were able to trace device usage and identify the IMEI number – which in such cases often allows precise assignment to an individual device.
During the work of the IT forensic specialists of the Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart, more and more indications began to surface, pointing the case in an entirely new direction: The employee concerned was verifiably absent from the company on at least three occasions during the times when data transfers had taken place. Moreover, the IMEI number in question did not match either his work or private smartphone, as further examinations showed. Now, a new possibility came into focus for our Stuttgart corporate investigators – one that Häberle had not even considered: The suspicion, the commercial investigators reasoned, might have been deliberately directed toward the new employee in order to divert attention and mislead the investigation in case the theft was discovered. The access to other workstations and computer data – originally carried out merely as a cover – quickly yielded a new clue through the regularly connected devices: The smartphone to which the data had been transferred was assigned to an entirely different employee who worked in the neighbouring office! This employee, Mr B. Konrad, had been with the company from the very beginning, and it was now on him that the detectives of the Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart focused their investigation.
With these new insights, the surveillance of the new target person could begin – and it soon produced results: Konrad, still unaware that he was under investigation and feeling safe, was in regular contact with a nearby company that was also engaged in fuel cell research. Fortunately, the meetings took place outside the premises of either company – otherwise, our commercial investigators would have been limited by privacy protections, which extend to company premises as well. However, under these circumstances, surveillance quickly revealed that Konrad regularly exchanged envelopes with a person later identified as a senior executive of that same company, which was in direct competition with the client of our Stuttgart commercial investigators. Three such meetings were observed and photographically documented by our corporate detectives – all in different locations but uninterruptedly followed.
Now it was up to our investigators to make a decision: The evidence was sufficient to file a complaint, but the success of such a move was far from guaranteed – so perhaps it would be better to confront the target directly? Knowing that the livelihoods of more than 50 employees in Häberle’s company were at stake, the commercial investigators of the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart decided to confront Konrad personally and alone immediately after the third meeting. Under the weight of the evidence, he quickly broke down: He admitted that he had been an employee in Häberle’s company from the beginning and had long felt passed over for promotions. When, about six months earlier, a representative of the rival company approached him, he had been offered a lucrative deal: he was to obtain documents and sensitive data in exchange for payments in the high four-digit range. Konrad was quite skilled in IT matters but personally dissatisfied with his job.
The malicious idea not only to cover his tracks but also to leave misleading traces pointing to someone else had been entirely Konrad’s own. He showed no remorse for the fact that the young man who had initially come under suspicion had done absolutely nothing wrong and had thus stood unjustly in the focus of the investigation. Fortunately for Häberle and his company, Konrad’s actions did not go undetected thanks to the commercial investigators and IT forensic specialists of the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart. Sufficient court-admissible evidence could be gathered to make both Konrad and the aforementioned employee of the competing company subject to criminal investigation.
Given the court-admissible video and photographic evidence and the detailed investigation report of the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart, all requirements were met to bring the industrial spies to justice. Moreover, the investigators prevented a loss worth millions and, not least, cleared the suspicion from an innocent person – who, without this intervention, would almost certainly have lost his job or worse. The innocent employee, however, remains unaware of his luck, as the investigation took place discreetly – demonstrating that beyond all commercial success, it is often the human element that makes our corporate investigators of the Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart perform their work with true conviction and satisfaction.
Incidentally, the terms economic espionage and industrial espionage are often confused in media reporting, but by definition, they are clearly distinct. The present case represents industrial or competitive espionage – the attempt by a private company to illegally obtain information from a competitor. Economic espionage, on the other hand, is always state-sponsored and typically carried out by intelligence services seeking to compensate for a technological disadvantage compared to other countries.
All names and locations have been completely anonymised to protect clients and target persons.
Author: Gerrit Koehler
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
19
Dez
At first glance, the case seemed simple: a shareholder of the client company of Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart had left the GmbH of the AG on bad terms and, according to his former colleagues, was now allegedly employed by a new company in the same industry – in breach of a non-compete clause. The task of our corporate investigators from Stuttgart was to prove this illicit employment through surveillance of the former shareholder. The clients also tipped our Stuttgart detectives off that the target person was known to exercise early in the morning before going straight to work. Due to budget restrictions, the proof was to be obtained using the “three-day rule”, meaning that the economic detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart were to gather sufficient evidence within just three surveillance days to convince the court.
This plan, however, collapsed right from the first day – even before our Stuttgart investigators reached the operation site in a nearby suburb – when a cyclist rode past them in the darkness at 5:20 a.m.
- “Was that the TP (target person)?” came the question over the radio.
- “I think so!”
By the time the investigators had turned the vehicle around, the cyclist had already vanished, and the short-range search yielded no result. Since it was possible that the target might return home before work (for example, to take a shower), the vehicle observers of Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart remained stationed at the target’s residence for another two hours. As there was no further sighting by 7:30 a.m., the Stuttgart detectives terminated the surveillance for that day. The goal of completing the assignment within three days was already off the table.
The next morning, the business detectives from Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart began their observation as early as 4:30 a.m., with a folding bicycle in each of the two cars. Right on schedule at 5:15 a.m., the target left his garage dressed in sportswear, a backpack on his shoulders, and cycled off. One investigator, already waiting nearby with a bike, immediately began following him. The second observer followed discreetly in the car but had to keep a long distance to avoid suspicion and could not take every route, as some were not accessible by motor vehicles. At least the car-based observer could track the cyclist’s position via a GPS tracker placed in the latter’s jacket pocket. Around 6:25 a.m., the car observer received a call from his colleague on the bike. Gasping for air, the voice said: “TP gone! I just can’t anymore! The guy rides like Lance Armstrong after visiting Doctor EPO! No chance, sorry!”
Since this failed bicycle observer had actually been chosen as the fittest investigator of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart, the unsuccessful attempt to “keep pace” with the target posed a serious problem. A quick solution was needed for the next day. By chance, an old school friend of one of our Stuttgart detectives owned a bicycle shop. Hoping for a lead, he was contacted – perhaps he could provide a trained cyclist for the task. After several phone calls, the team finally found a man who regularly participated in small cycling races and often achieved impressive results. The briefing for his role as a bicycle observer took place that afternoon with our experienced Stuttgart detectives. The greatest challenge in such a long mobile surveillance is maintaining the balance between keeping visual contact and remaining inconspicuous, especially since the operation would begin in darkness and dawn, with hardly any other cyclists around. But there was no time for alternatives – the newcomer was thrown straight into the cold water of detective work.
Again, at precisely 5:15 a.m. the next morning, the target left the garage on his bike. The temporary detective of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart began the observation, while an experienced investigator followed by car – as best he could. Around 6:40 a.m., the GPS tracker indicated that our helper had reached Stuttgart city centre. Ten minutes later, he reported that the target had entered an office building. Shortly afterwards, the car observer and the temporary detective of Kurtz Commercial Investigation Agency Stuttgart met within sight of the building to discuss the situation. Even this trained cyclist was visibly exhausted and drenched in sweat. “He set quite a pace, I tell you! That’ll cost you an extra beer at the weekend!” he laughed. “He even did push-ups in the park on the way – I couldn’t believe my eyes!”
Our cyclist was then released from duty, and a seasoned investigator of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart took over the on-site observation, as the building had two exits that could not be covered by a single observer. The detective checked the company signs inside the building and discovered a firm operating in the same industry as our client’s – highly likely to be the target’s new employer. During an internal inspection, the target was indeed spotted inside, wearing a suit and clearly freshly showered. The Stuttgart detectives positioned themselves to monitor the premises while the case lead arranged a cover story for the following day, under which a “consultation meeting” with the target’s company would be scheduled. During the day, the target was also observed leaving the office for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Nine hours after his arrival, he exited the building again – now back in sportswear – and cycled home. To preserve discretion, our Stuttgart bicycle observer did not follow him this time. Instead, the commercial investigators drove directly to the target’s residence, where he arrived about 105 minutes later. The day’s surveillance was concluded.
The next day, the target once again left home punctually and cycled to work, where the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart were already waiting to document his working hours. During the observation, one of our investigators entered the building for the prearranged appointment. Although the meeting was not directly with the target, a brief encounter and friendly exchange occurred. Furthermore, valuable information was obtained about the company’s structure, the target’s position, and, most importantly, the duration of his employment – a jackpot for our clients. The surveillance ended with the target’s return home.
On the following day, now Friday, the target’s complete working hours were again documented. The detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart subsequently finalised their report and submitted it to the satisfied clients, who now held solid evidence for their legal case against the target.
The promised “extra beer or two” was gladly shared over the weekend with our helpful stand-in cyclist, to whom we once again express our sincere thanks.
All names and locations have been fully altered to protect the privacy of clients and target persons.
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
15
Nov
Mr D. approached the detectives of the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart with a rather unusual case. He himself works in Switzerland but grew up in Stuttgart, where his parents (both over 75) still live in their terraced house. The parents believe themselves to be victims of thefts and stalking incidents. According to them, objects repeatedly disappear from the house, furniture is moved, and cupboards are found open. There are also rumours circulating behind their backs in the neighbourhood. Among the missing items are stamp collections and large parts of Mr D. Jr.’s model railway collection. The detectives of the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart are now to identify the culprit and hand them over to the authorities, as the police had taken no further action despite the family’s criminal complaint.
An initial inspection of the property gives a rather untidy, chaotic impression — not least because renovation works have been ongoing for years and a recent burst water pipe has caused additional disorder. The attic, from which most of the missing items supposedly disappeared, resembles a jumble of objects accumulated over a long lifetime. Little of it has any real material value that might motivate a thief. Most is stored haphazardly in unlabelled boxes. It is quite possible that the “missing” objects are merely lost in this clutter. Nevertheless, the Stuttgart detectives do not close the case prematurely and begin searching for signs of a break-in.
The possible access points to the house are first examined. There is a front and a back door. Years ago, before a holiday, the keys were given to the neighbour — the main suspect, according to Mr D. and his parents. The locks have since been replaced, yet more objects disappeared afterwards. As these are high-quality security locks, it is highly unlikely that the neighbour, a retired postal worker, could have opened them. This would have required significant technical skill. A third access point is a roof window. A private investigator from the Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart checks this possibility in the simplest way: using a ladder, he climbs into the attic and examines whether any footprints, fingerprints or rope marks interrupt the thick layer of dust. The dust is completely undisturbed — no sign of movement for years.
This leaves only the doors as possible access points — but even then, only an expert burglar could have entered unnoticed. Our Stuttgart detectives inspect the locks for traces of tampering, which would appear with any break-in method, even gentle lock-picking. The result is clearly negative. The clients argue that one of the doors had once been left open, allowing a possible intruder to take the keys lying on the sideboard and have copies made. However, the locks’ manufacturer requires a special authorisation card to issue duplicates. “But one could simply go to a locksmith,” the family argues. No, the private investigators from Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart explain, any reputable locksmith would strictly refuse such a job. And even among disreputable ones, 99% lack the necessary tools to duplicate this particular key. Despite this, the family remains unconvinced, and further measures are requested.
Since the two entrance doors are already monitored by Mr D. Jr. with infrared cameras, our security technicians install an additional surveillance camera in the attic. Furthermore, in the absence of the suspected neighbour, a trench is discreetly dug in the backyard — the only possible passage between the two properties — camouflaged and surrounded by raked soil to detect shoeprints.
The installation remained in place for seven days. Afterwards, the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart met with the family to discuss recent events. Mrs D. claimed to have clearly heard human noises in the house at several times. The video recordings from the relevant periods were checked by our Stuttgart private detectives, but none of them showed any human movement that did not originate from the D. family themselves. The dug-out pit also remained untouched. Although there were footprints in the raked flower bed, they did not lead from the neighbour’s property. Moreover, the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart determined upon comparison that they belonged to Mrs D.’s own shoes, although she swore she had not entered the bed.
Mr D. Jr. nevertheless urgently requested our private detectives from Stuttgart to continue investigating this supposed stalking case, even though the investigators advised him against it. Mrs D. now claimed that every time she left the jointly used garage area in her car, someone deliberately closed the exit gate to annoy her. This person would always have to know where her vehicle was because even when she entered the premises from the street, the same thing would happen. She suspected a former admirer from her school days who lived within sight of the gate and had, a year earlier, published a clearly addressed greeting to her in the newspaper: “For my rose for eternity.” Our Stuttgart detectives suggested that such a greeting could have been meant for anyone, but neither the elderly couple nor Mr D. Jr. accepted this. Thus, our Stuttgart private detectives examined the family’s vehicle for possible hidden GPS trackers. The result was again unequivocally negative.
The investigators from Stuttgart subsequently observed Mrs D.’s departures and arrivals several times. Only once did the gate actually close again as she approached. However, it was unmistakably evident that this was due to a misoperation of the transponder by Mrs D. The detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart again advised Mr D. Jr., the official client, to terminate the investigation, but he insisted on continuing.
Consequently, different investigators from our Stuttgart detective agency occupied the building on three separate weekends, staying there overnight to catch any intruders red-handed and to make a temporary arrest under §127 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure while the D. family was away. Mrs D. had claimed that every time both residents left the house, an intrusion took place afterward. However, during these three weekends, no foreign movements in the house occurred whatsoever.
As a final investigative measure, our Stuttgart private investigators suggested involving a mantrailing handler, since there was a box in the attic that, according to Mrs D., had been moved without any doubt and then not touched by anyone other than the alleged perpetrator. This box was used as the scent source for the person search by the mantrailing dogs. Our handler provided the dogs with the scent sample from the box, then let them familiarise themselves with the D. family members to exclude them as targets to be tracked, and began the trail search. All three dogs went directly through the back door to the garage of the D. family, then around the terraced house complex, and back into the D. house through the front door. This was precisely the route that Mrs D. took every time she drove her car: out through the back door and, upon her return, in through the front door to check the mailbox. Thus, any outside interference with the box could be ruled out.
The detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart had reached the limits of what was possible and informed the not particularly delighted Mr D. Jr. of this. When all was said and done, despite numerous investigative approaches, there was not the slightest indication of any outside interference. It was, with the highest probability, age-related imagination on the part of Mrs D. rather than an actual stalking case. Unfortunately, Mr D. refused to accept this and parted ways with our private investigators on poor terms.
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart nevertheless wishes the D. family all the best for the future!
All names and places have, of course, been completely altered to protect the identities of clients and subjects.
Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart | Germany
Königstraße 80
D-70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
09
Okt
Kurtz Investigations Stuttgart
Königstraße 80
70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 7153 0028
kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de
Monday–Friday: 08:00–20:00
Since 2016, Kurtz Detective Agency has continuously supported the well:fair Neven Subotic Foundation, which provides children in underprivileged regions with access to clean water and education.
*Note: All assignments of Kurtz Investigations Stuttgart, Germany are carried out and billed from Königstraße in Stuttgart. Other deployment locations or regions advertised on this domain are not local branches or business premises of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart, unless explicitly stated otherwise. We conduct investigations nationwide, across Europe and worldwide — either in cooperation with qualified, vetted local experts from our extensive contact network or by dispatching our own specialists. Further information on fees can be found here and on deployment locations here.
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