Fraud in Car Purchases | Motor Vehicle Theft and Vehicle Embezzlement

Detectives in Berlin Solve Passenger Vehicle Thefts

Increasingly brazen methods in motor vehicle theft are causing major losses in Germany, with Berliners being the hardest hit according to a GDV study. In 2014, 3.5 vehicles were stolen per 1,000 registered passenger cars. Average value of these vehicles: €14,650! Private individuals engage business investigators such as those of the Aaden Detective Agency Berlin to apprehend the thieves, determine the location of the stolen vehicle, and ideally recover the car. Our detectives’ investigations, surveillance, and tracking operations often lead to Eastern Europe; Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic in particular serve as hubs for stolen vehicles. Vehicle identification numbers are ground down and altered, cars are repainted, and provided with falsified vehicle histories. Thus, a black metallic SUV purchased in Berlin-Mitte suddenly becomes a forest-green vehicle allegedly originating from France with chrome rims. Among all car thefts in 2014, as in previous years, owners of expensive SUVs were most affected: out of 1,000 insured Range Rovers, for example, 57.4 were stolen.

Vehicle Embezzlement a Major Problem in Germany

In addition to the high number of motor vehicle thefts (17,895 cases in 2014 alone), the embezzlement of passenger cars (see §§ 246, 247 StGB) represents a significant issue. In 2014, 7,127 cases of embezzlement were recorded, which, although a slight improvement of 2% compared to the previous year, still constitutes a substantial portion of police crime statistics. Employers in particular are often affected by vehicle embezzlement by their employees: employee X is provided with a company car, resigns or is terminated, and retains the vehicle or – as our Berlin detectives frequently observe – sells it without ever having been its owner.

 

This results in considerable financial damage to companies, and perpetrators often flee abroad or conceal the embezzled vehicle, leading to lengthy and frequently unsuccessful police investigations that can drag on for months or even years and often come to nothing. The affected companies are left bearing the costs if the embezzlement cannot be proven, for example because the employee claims the vehicle was stolen. Our private detectives in Berlin act promptly whenever embezzlement cases are brought to them: +49 30 2016 9221-0. In many cases, perpetrators can be tracked through surveillance and location investigations, and the embezzled vehicle recovered. The collected data, reports, photographic evidence, and witness statements of our business investigators in Berlin are admissible in court and, due to their clarity, can lead to quicker convictions and more efficient legal proceedings.

Stolen Individual Parts Enter the Market

In many cases, offenders are not interested in the vehicle itself but rather in a few valuable individual parts, which are either dumped onto the market in large quantities at scrap prices, depriving manufacturers of revenue and causing noticeable harm to the German economy, or sold at inflated prices on automotive platforms, resulting in unsuspecting buyers being overcharged. Another risk highlighted by our business investigators in Berlin arises from cheap counterfeit versions of certain parts, which, after being stolen, are transported to illegal production facilities and replicated with inferior quality. These copies pose a significant safety risk for unsuspecting buyers if installed in a vehicle and subsequently used.

 

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the “high level of professionalism of the perpetrators” means that operations within these criminal circles are carried out rapidly, making it nearly impossible to determine where, when, and by whom the theft was committed. Before perpetrators can be apprehended, the parts have already been sold and the trail obscured. However, there is a solution: through targeted investigations by our Berlin detectives, cases can be solved that law enforcement is unable to resolve. While police prioritize major cases, particularly capital crimes and offenses affecting public finances (such as tax evasion), individual car thefts are often not thoroughly pursued due to time or personnel constraints. Our flexible detectives, on the other hand, have numerous methods available to resolve the case satisfactorily for the affected owner.

Odometer Manipulation and Consequences of Purchasing Stolen Vehicles | Fraud in the Automotive Market

In addition to the aforementioned consequences of theft and embezzlement, other forms of manipulation in the automotive market harm manufacturers and consumers alike: the police and the inspection organization DEKRA estimate that approximately 30% of used cars sold in Germany—around 1.8 million vehicles annually—have had their mileage reduced or manipulated to achieve a higher sale price and deceive buyers into purchasing worn-out vehicles with limited remaining usability. The resulting damage amounts to an average of about €3,000 per vehicle, totaling an alarming €6 billion. The business and private investigators of the Aaden Detective Agency Berlin help to mitigate these losses: info@aaden-detektive-berlin.de.

 

Odometer fraud is therefore clearly not a minor offense, especially since any resetting of odometers has been prohibited since 2005: at that time, the German Bundestag passed a law defining not only fraudulent manipulation but any alteration of mileage counters in motor vehicles as a criminal offense. Even possession of the computer software required for such manipulation has been punishable since then, leading to easier and faster convictions. Whereas previously a difficult-to-prove fraudulent intent had to be established, today it is sufficient to demonstrate that the mileage has been altered, without needing to prove intent. Our IT specialists in Berlin analyze your digital tachometer and help bring perpetrators to justice and recover the purchase price.

My Car Has Been Stolen, Embezzled, or Manipulated – What Can I Do?

If you are affected by one of the cases described above or a similar situation, contact our business and private investigators without hesitation and receive personal advice on our approach: +49 30 2016 9221-0. We offer surveillance, research, and investigations in Germany and across Europe to assist you in recovering your vehicle and or securing the conviction of the perpetrator or perpetrators. With court-admissible evidence and the testimony of our Berlin detectives, you have the best possible chances of winning your case in court.

Aaden Detectives Berlin

Stresemannstraße 23

D-10963 Berlin

Tel.: +49 30 2016 9221-0

Fax: +49 30 2016 9221-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-berlin.de

Web: https://www.aaden-detektive-berlin.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824