Unfair Competition | Competitive Fraud

As an entrepreneur, you are engaged in constant competition in which the opposing side unfortunately often resorts to criminal methods in order to gain an advantage over you. The IHK-certified investigators of Kurtz Investigations Erfurt and Thuringia will act on your behalf when it comes to securing court-admissible proof of such anti-competitive activities: +49 361 2243 0020.

When The Competitor Becomes A High-Flyer …

There is a saying that “competition stimulates business” – and it is not entirely wrong. Healthy and, above all, lawful competition encourages all parties involved to achieve peak performance, for example through better service, superior quality and more favourable offers. Ideally, the customer will be satisfied and recommend your company to others. If competition were conducted on equal terms and by fair means, the prediction “the larger the market, the greater the prosperity for all” made by the Scottish economist and Professor of Logic and Moral Philosophy Adam Smith (1723–1790) would presumably come true. The situation becomes detrimental to you, however, when a competitor employs unfair means in order to edge you out while simultaneously increasing their own turnover.

The criminal energy of competitors can sometimes be considerable: your suppliers may be informed of your alleged insolvency, customers may be told of the supposedly inferior quality of your goods or products, or claims of corrupt business practices and dubious personnel management may be circulated. Customers turn away from your company, suppliers may become unsettled – and you do not know what is causing this behaviour. Our professional corporate investigators in Erfurt and Thuringia will support you in this situation. We research the background and, depending on the circumstances of the case, if necessary using an appropriate cover, obtain comprehensive and court-admissible evidence of unfair competition: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-erfurt.de.

Poaching Or Bribery Of Employees

Negative influence on suppliers or customers is only one of numerous ways to harm you and your company through unfair competition. Another variant is executive search conducted by specialised recruitment consultants to poach your executives. In principle, poaching employees is permitted, provided that the competitor or the headhunter commissioned by them complies with statutory requirements, for example adhering to proper appointment arrangements and observing any non-compete clauses stipulated in the employment contract.

Particularly in employee recruitment through headhunting, the recruitment consultants engaged by the competitor often pay little regard to legal requirements; in some cases, sought-after employees are heavily pressured, encouraged to breach their contracts and or enticed with lucrative offers (bribery). In addition to the professional experience your employees have acquired within your company and are expected to place at the disposal of your competitor in the future, the opposing side is frequently primarily interested in your internal company information. Not only employees from senior management, who have access to many or all company data, are sought after, but also, for example, warehouse managers, as they have access to supplier and customer data.

If you suspect theft of company data or the unlawful disclosure of business information, our specialised detective agency in Erfurt and Thuringia is your competent partner in obtaining court-admissible proof against the competitor and or your employee. If required, please use our contact form for an initial non-binding enquiry.

Contractual Penalties Amortise Through Information Gain

Some competitors go so far, in the case of non-compete clauses contained in your employees’ contracts, as to pay the contractual penalties in order to utilise your employees’ know-how for their own benefit. Through many years of experience in the field of corporate investigations, our qualified detectives in Erfurt and Thuringia are thoroughly familiar with the methods employed by the opposing side and will assist you in securing solid evidence against both the competitor and the disloyal employee. Describe your case to us without obligation in an e-mail to kontakt@kurtz-detektei-erfurt.de or call us on +49 361 2243 0020.