Property Offences by Employees – Multiple Investigative Approaches by Our Detectives from Stuttgart

Theft and embezzlement are unfortunately a daily occurrence in German businesses. If there are specific cases or concrete suspicions against employees, you as the employer have the right to have the relevant staff monitored by our Stuttgart detectives: +49 711 7153 0028.

Warehouse Theft Stuttgart

In extreme cases, thefts by employees can lead to the bankruptcy of the affected company and consequently to the unemployment of several or even numerous colleagues – all because one individual seeks to enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else. The detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Stuttgart speak from experience, as we have repeatedly encountered situations in which entrepreneurs contacted us only when they were already on the brink of insolvency, due to massive inventory discrepancies and significant revenue losses.

In such assignments, our corporate investigators from Stuttgart have repeatedly discovered that individual employees, primarily working in warehouse or cash handling positions, had stolen substantial amounts – in some cases up to 160,000 euros – over a period of months or years without being detected. Through investigations in such cases, our detectives have often succeeded in preventing impending staff redundancies or even insolvency for our clients. In many instances, ways were later found to recover the stolen sums in full from the thief within the workforce.

Cash Register Theft – Surveillance, Test Purchase, Honesty Test

Cash register theft can primarily be proven through two investigative approaches: surveillance on the one hand, and test purchases or honesty tests on the other. Both tactics are not feasible in every environment, which is why our detectives from Stuttgart must familiarise themselves with the on-site conditions before deciding on the optimal investigative method.

If the conditions allow for the surveillance of the cash register area, this method is naturally advantageous. In other cases, it may be more practical to conduct test purchases and carefully observe what happens to the money received and whether a receipt is issued. Honesty tests take a similar approach, whereby our detective might, for example, offer the suspected cashier the opportunity to process a purchase “off the books” – that is, without VAT and without a receipt. The employee then has the choice of accepting the offer and pocketing the money or remaining loyal to both the employer and the state.

Resale of Stolen Goods – Handling Stolen Property in Stuttgart

Those who steal goods rarely use them for themselves; instead, they usually attempt to sell them. Such behaviour constitutes the criminal offence of handling stolen property under Section 259 of the German Criminal Code and can be punished with up to five years of imprisonment. In cases of employee theft, the stolen items are often highly specific materials for which there is only a small circle of potential buyers. It may therefore happen that an employee steals from their company and immediately walks over to a competitor to offer the stolen goods at a bargain price. A reputable firm will, in such a case, become suspicious and inform the authorities, revealing the theft. However, not every victim can rely on law-abiding competitors, and thus contacting Kurtz Investigations Stuttgart quickly becomes indispensable: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-stuttgart.de.

Test Purchases as a Quality and Service Check (Mystery Shopping)

Test purchases can serve not only to expose deliberate offences such as theft and embezzlement by employees, but also to assess your company’s operational procedures, thoroughness, and staff motivation. In this context, the practice is referred to as mystery shopping. Ideally, the quality of your customer service and the performance of your employees are continuously evaluated by detectives disguised as buyers. This measure constitutes a form of internal company self-monitoring, allowing weaknesses and opportunities for improvement within operational processes to be identified. Seek advice from our Stuttgart detectives: +49 711 7153 0028.