Transport Theft | Cargo Embezzlement

If your company notices unusual inventory discrepancies or excessive damage/losses in storage and transport, our experienced and IHK-certified corporate investigators at Kurtz Investigations Erfurt and Thuringia are available to help identify the perpetrators and provide court-admissible evidence of the offences: +49 361 2243 0020.

When Something “Falls off the Lorry” …

Online marketplaces and classified ads are full of bargains: computers, tablets, laptops, smartphones, and TVs offered by private sellers at unusually low prices. Few people consider where this merchandise comes from. If asked, sellers often claim items are being “given away due to circumstances,” as “unwanted Christmas presents,” or “from household clearances.” However, many of these goods – certainly not all – originate from warehouse or transport theft. Each year, goods worth several million euros disappear during transport in Germany. In 2014 alone, police-registered transport thefts rose by 43 percent within a year to 285 cases. This seemingly small number is almost certainly only the tip of the iceberg, as our corporate investigators encounter this type of crime far too frequently for the official statistics to reflect the true scale. An illustrative case involving a high-value loss can be found via our detective colleagues in Kiel.

The many forms of transport theft make it difficult – if not impossible – for companies to identify the culprits. Drivers who stop overnight at motorway service stations and sleep in their cabs often discover in the morning that cargo has been stolen. No one has seen the perpetrators or their getaway vehicle, and police investigations usually stall. Our qualified corporate investigators from Erfurt assist companies and insurance providers through surveillance, targeted trap-setting, forensic evidence collection, monitoring relevant black markets, and other measures to identify offenders and, ideally, recover stolen goods. In the event of a loss, use our contact form to receive a non-binding consultation on case-specific options.

Systematic Misappropriation of Company Property

Perpetrators of cargo theft are often employees themselves. A driver might deliver only part of the shipment to a client, selling the rest and pocketing the proceeds as “extra pay.” During the daily transport of large volumes of goods, such thefts often go unnoticed for a long time. Many perpetrators grow greedier over time, taking more and more until someone becomes suspicious. Excuses, such as “the warehouse staff packed it incorrectly,” may work once or twice. Sometimes the warehouse worker and driver collude: items removed from storage are hidden by the driver and later sold, while the loss is reported as shoplifting or transport damage. Eventually, systematic property offences inevitably come to light, and Kurtz Investigations Erfurt and Thuringia step in.

If you suspect that your employees are misappropriating company property, targeted surveillance is recommended. A disloyal driver can be monitored along their route, while for an employee in the warehouse or on-site, “undercover placement” can be used: a detective is employed as a supposed new team member, allowing them to observe and discreetly question the suspect. In all cases, our corporate investigators in Erfurt and Thuringia provide court-admissible evidence upon successful identification of the offender(s).

Organised Transport Crime: A Case for Our Specialist Corporate Investigators in Erfurt

In addition to thefts by unknown third parties, transport robberies are sometimes committed as gang crimes by employees. Warehouse staff and/or drivers inform friends of a particularly valuable shipment, the driver is “robbed,” the goods are stolen, and friends sell them. The involved employees receive their share of the proceeds.

Whether the incident is a one-off or goods repeatedly disappear from storage or transport vehicles, our specialist detectives in Erfurt and Thuringia are the right contacts to recover stolen property and provide court-admissible evidence. For an initial, non-binding inquiry, email us at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-erfurt.de or call +49 361 2243 0020.