Brazen tenant nomads bring chaos, costs, and despair to landlords. Often, the situation seems hopeless, and the horror tenants are untraceable. Yet private detective Patrick Kurtz knows how to find those who have disappeared – and helps property owners succeed in court.

Patrick Kurtz Locates Disappeared Horror Tenants

Tenant nomads – the nightmare of every landlord. Tenants who wreck apartments, simply disappear, leaving nothing but outstanding bills and rubbish behind. The property owner is left to cover the costs – unless the horror tenants are found. Patrick Kurtz is a private detective, a real-life Sherlock Holmes, and he specialises in tracking down exactly these nightmare tenants.

About twice a year, desperate landlords approach the detective. During his career, he has successfully resolved 15 tenant nomad cases with his agency. “Often, it was simply a matter of documenting the current state of an apartment’s destruction, recurring unacceptable behaviour, or similar, in a legally admissible way,” says Patrick Kurtz.

Detectives Document Evidence for Court

“That is not difficult. Obvious issues can easily be documented from the outside. But how does a detective proceed when the tenant nomad behaves less obviously? A brief look from the doorway into the apartment, balancing the tenant’s personal rights against the landlord’s economic interests, is also permissible,” he explains.

It becomes trickier when the horror tenants really need to be located – “when the target individuals are living completely under the radar.” For example, when they are not registered with authorities or utility providers with correct personal data. That is when the detective begins deeper investigative work.

How a Private Detective Finds Those Who Have Disappeared

“You have to be creative,” says private detective Kurtz. “Often, questioning former neighbours or friends, family, and acquaintances helps.” Once the tenant who caused the damage is located, they must cover the costs incurred.

Even the detective’s fees can be charged to the tenant nomad. Recently, several cases in Switzerland made headlines. Entrepreneur Rolf Steiner rented his chalet in Hohtenn VS to an artist – when the tenant left, Steiner found only destruction. Another case occurred in Trimbach SO. Landlord Dino Rossi (66) had rented his apartment to social welfare recipients. They caused damages worth tens of thousands of francs, leaving a complete mess – and disappeared. The social welfare office was not allowed to provide their new addresses.

Even Social Welfare Recipients Can Be Located

Private detectives can also help in such seemingly hopeless cases. While the social welfare office may not provide new addresses of recipients, Patrick Kurtz says: “If a fleeing tenant nomad is a social welfare recipient and has provided correct address information to the social welfare office, they effectively become transparent to us.”

This also applies to disappeared employees who are properly registered with pension and health insurance providers. Even if the affected landlords consider the case entirely hopeless: “Legally compliant private detectives know what evidence they must gather to dramatically improve the chances of success in court.”

Note

The original article by Helena Schmid and Celina Euchner was published in 2020 in the Swiss daily newspaper Blick and is now finally being reproduced here. Emphasis (bold) and links on this page may differ from the original.

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Most media coverage of classifieds fraud in the German-speaking world focuses on cases in Germany. However, as a detective agency in Switzerland, we are well aware of how widespread this form of fraud is within the Confederation as well. Fake listings for products that never reach the buyer, the sale of stolen goods and fraudulent payment methods are among the most common types of classifieds fraud. Every user of platforms such as tutti.ch, Facebook Marketplace or ricardo.ch should handle their transactions with caution and stay alert for red flags such as suspicious payment methods or prices that seem too good to be true. If you suspect that you have nevertheless fallen victim to fraud, you should act immediately and contact your bank, the police and—if you wish—our detectives in Zurich, so that measures can be taken without delay to significantly increase your chances of a favourable outcome.

In this article, we provide tips on how to recognise signs of fraud and protect yourself from scams. If you have already become a victim of fraud, you will also learn exactly which steps you can take to recover your money. The advice of Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland will help you feel more confident and secure when using online classifieds.

Signs of Fraud in Classifieds

To protect yourself from fraud in classifieds—whether online or in print—it is important to recognise the typical indicators of fraudulent offers. Below are some common warning signs to watch for:

Prices Too Good To Be True

If an offer is significantly cheaper than the usual market price, you should be sceptical. Fraudsters often lure unsuspecting buyers with seemingly unbeatable deals, only to take their money without providing the promised goods.

Requests for Advance Payments or Unusual Payment Methods

If a seller asks for advance payments or unusual forms of payment, caution is advised. Fraudsters often use methods like Western Union or cash transfers because they are difficult to trace and offer no chargeback options.

Seller Not Reachable or Incomplete Contact Details

Auch wenn der Verkäufer schwer oder gar nicht zu erreichen ist oder nur unvollständige Kontaktinformationen angegeben sind, ist Vorsicht geboten.

Seller With Poor or Suspicious Reputation

If a seller has many negative reviews or a bad reputation, most users instinctively stay away. However, also pay attention to sellers who suddenly list numerous items or conduct many sales in a short period—this may indicate fraud. Once goods have been stolen, criminals aim to sell them quickly before police or investigators such as our Zurich detectives take notice.

By paying attention to these signs and doing additional research when necessary, you can protect yourself from fraud on online classifieds. Stay alert and trust your instincts. If in doubt, you can contact our private investigation agency in Switzerland even before making a purchase to verify the seller’s identity and background. Especially for larger purchases, caution is always better than regret.

How To Protect Yourself From Fraud

There are several measures you can take to protect yourself from fraud in online classifieds. Here are some key recommendations:

Trust Your Instincts

If something sounds too good to be true, it often is. Be sceptical of unusually cheap offers or requests for unconventional payment methods. Trust your gut feeling and do not transfer money if you feel uncertain.

Check Listings and Sellers Carefully

Take your time to thoroughly examine listings and their sellers. Verify the seller’s contact details, read reviews from other buyers and research further if necessary. Watch out for unusual aspects such as missing images or unclear descriptions. Classifieds fraud often reveals itself in the details.

Use Only Secure Payment Methods

Use secure payment methods such as PayPal (important: the buyer protection option!) or bank transfers that allow chargebacks for a sufficient period. Avoid Western Union or cash transfers, which offer no chargeback rights.

Meet the Seller in Person

If possible—and if you feel comfortable—meet the seller in person and inspect the item before making any payment. Avoid shipping goods to unknown addresses without having received the money and equally avoid buying goods without seeing them first.

Report Fraud and Suspicious Listings

If you suspect that an offer may be fraudulent, report it immediately to the platform operators. This helps protect other users and enables the platform to pursue potential offenders. In case of doubt, the costs of identifying fraudsters—which may include investigative fees from our Swiss detectives—do not necessarily have to be borne by users as potential victims.

By following these steps and staying alert, you can protect yourself effectively from classifieds fraud. Remember: it is far less costly and stressful to give up a tempting but suspicious offer than to fall victim to a scam.

What To Do If You Have Already Become a Victim of Fraud

Despite all precautions, it can still happen that you fall victim to classifieds fraud. And if you are reading this article, it is quite possible that this is the case. As already mentioned, swift action is essential to limit the damage. Have all documents and evidence ready when you contact third parties such as the police, platform operators or investigators like Kurtz Detective Agency Switzerland. Cooperate in finding a solution and stay positive—you do not want to obstruct your own path to justice. With a bit of luck, you may be able to uncover the fraud and minimise the loss. Here are some concrete steps you can take:

Contact the Seller

If you suspect you have been defrauded on a classifieds platform, first try to reach the seller and seek a solution. It may be a misunderstanding or the seller may be willing to issue a refund or replacement. Stay polite but firm and document all your steps.

Report the Fraud to the Platform

If you cannot resolve the matter with the seller and your suspicion hardens, report the incident immediately to the platform operators using features such as “Report listing”. Reputable platforms will investigate the case and take further action if needed.

Request a Refund From PayPal or Your Bank

If you used a secure payment method such as PayPal, you can request a refund. Even credit card payments can often be reversed if all parties act quickly. Fraudsters frequently empty their accounts, but not always daily, as they hope for multiple victims and keep accounts active as long as possible. Inform PayPal or your bank about the fraud and submit any documents necessary to support your claim.

File a Police Report

If you have become a victim of classifieds fraud, you should also file a police report. Bring all documents and evidence with you and report the seller. The police will (hopefully) investigate and take further steps. You may even be lucky and the offender is already known.

If All Else Fails: Hire Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland

If you have been defrauded, you can always engage our detectives in Switzerland to take over the investigation. Our experienced Zurich investigation agency can help you gather court-admissible evidence and identify the offender to minimise the damage. It is important to act quickly, before the offender disappears with the stolen funds. Remember: you are not alone. Platform providers, authorities and service providers such as our private investigators in Zurich all have an interest in identifying offenders and helping you obtain justice.

Note

Kurtz Detective Agency Switzerland does not guarantee the accuracy or applicability of information found on linked third-party websites.

Author: Julia Noack

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Patrick Kurtz, owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland, in an interview with Radio Fribourg from Fribourg in Üechtland about his profession. Below, we provide the transcription of the resulting feature (with some delay).

Which Types of Assignments Do Detectives Handle in Switzerland?

Presenter: "The Swiss author Marcel Naas has achieved a great deal lately. Today he is releasing his first youth book and it is called Mountains, Skiing and False Trails: Four young detectives solve cases in the Swiss mountains and experience exciting adventures. We at RadioFr. are presenting the whole book to you today, newly published. Important for us: in such a detective book that already sounds exciting, the detective life. But we wonder: is it really that exciting? Providing information is Patrick Kurtz. He is the owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency in Zurich, and they also solve cases here with us in the canton of Fribourg. Patrick Kurtz, what does a detective do in Switzerland? Is it really like you imagine it?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Detectives have very different fields of activity. On the one hand, this is divided into the areas of corporate investigations and private investigations. Private investigations are, as the word already says, for private individuals; this means that you investigate such typical things as infidelity, meaning infidelity in relationships, or custody matters or problems with maintenance payments, stalking, that you search for debtors – all such things. In corporate investigations, we are mainly talking about the surveillance of employees who act against their employment obligations or are at least suspected of violating those obligations. Then we are talking about occupational disability fraud or expense fraud, working-hours accounting fraud, theft – many different circumstances that can be investigated by detectives."

Presenter: "That sounds like a broad range. So you check in the case of a crime whether someone is innocent or not, or whether there is something to it."

Patrick Kurtz: "Crimes are rarer. The definition of a crime already implies a more serious intrusion. We proceed against misdemeanours; these are offences such as thefts and fraud – these are the two main factors that we prove for companies. Often it is their own employees who commit these frauds and thefts. Accordingly, we operate in the field of criminal law in very, very many assignments."

Presenter: "Whether the Kurtz Detective Agency handles more corporate assignments or more private assignments – and what the most exciting cases are at all – we will hear in a moment from Detective Patrick Kurtz."

Case Example: Hotel with Swinger Club Cooperation

Presenter: "They mostly work in the background: hidden and ideally in such a way that you don’t know exactly what they are doing – detectives. In Switzerland, among others, there is the Kurtz Detective Agency in Zurich. Swiss detectives who also investigate in the canton of Fribourg – whether they are private assignments, corporate assignments or assignments they receive from authorities. The owner is Patrick Kurtz, and we are now talking to him about his cases. But tell me, Mr Kurtz, are these usually more corporate cases or more private cases?"

Patrick Kurtz: "We clearly handle more private cases. The corporate cases, of course, have larger budgets; there is often a large company behind them that can also provide corresponding resources for the investigation. That can look quite different for private clients. Accordingly, while we do handle more private investigations, the corporate investigations are so extensive in their scope compared to the private investigations that the main share of turnover still comes from the corporate investigations."

Presenter: "Now that I have a detective on the phone, of course I am curious what kind of assignments he has handled or what the most exciting assignment is that Patrick Kurtz has ever dealt with. Is it really such an experience you could almost write a book about?"

Patrick Kurtz: "I don’t even want to make a judgement about which case was the most exciting, because we have handled several thousand cases in recent years – you first have to sort your thoughts before you can form an opinion on which was the most exciting. I'll just go with one we had on the table today, because it was quite interesting. It was about a suspicion of infidelity. We observed the husband of our client and found that he was meeting with another woman unknown to the client, and then checked into a hotel with her. This hotel, according to our internet research, is known for organising so-called swinger-club tours, meaning that there is a cooperation between the hotel and a swinger club. Then these two [the target persons] were taken from the hotel to the swinger club by shuttle bus and were brought back late at night. And this is how we proved the infidelity and found that it was not even limited to just one person, but that the husband apparently has very, very many different sexual partners besides his own wife."

Presenter: "I would say that definitely sounds like something you could write a book about. Many thanks, Mr Kurtz. Today we are speaking all day with Patrick Kurtz, the owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency in Zurich. And of course we also want to know from him whether he regularly gets into dangerous situations through his work as a detective. And we also want to know how he likes detective life, whether it really is as secret-service-like as people imagine. All that and much more on RadioFr."

How Does Cooperation Between Police and Private Detectives Work in Switzerland?

Presenter: "Sometimes private detectives also work together with the police?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Cooperation with the police differs from canton to canton and from city to city. You have your contacts here and there; in other places they are worse. Some are more open to cooperation with detectives, others not – this depends on the individual case. Sometimes it can work wonderfully, hand in hand. But sometimes the police actively block our work and thereby do not act in the interest of law enforcement."

Presenter: "That is certainly an additional challenge when you are not working hand in hand. I imagine the detective job can also be dangerous. What Patrick Kurtz has experienced and how one becomes a detective at all – he will tell us after the music..."

Diverse Tasks for Private Detectives in Fribourg in Üechtland

Presenter: "Now it’s about Columbo, Derrick, Miss Marple and Co. We know detectives as ordinary mortals from television, books and films. But detectives also exist here in real life. And real detectives have very different tasks. Two of the areas of tasks are corporate investigations and private investigations. Private investigation is what the word already says: it is for private individuals. Typical cases include infidelity or custody matters or problems with maintenance payments, stalking and so on. In corporate investigation, we are mainly talking about the surveillance of employees. If, for example, there is fear that the employee is committing fraud, cheating with expenses or working hours, you can put a detective on him and he then investigates the whole matter. The suspicion is confirmed or not. Patrick Kurtz is the owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency Switzerland and, among others, they also investigate in the canton of Fribourg, the detective agency. It is an exciting profession with a great deal of variety."

Patrick Kurtz: "There are many different aspects to detective life. The diversity of activities that you can carry out is already exciting in itself. You do not have case X that you handle again every week; every case is somewhat different. Sure: when you repeatedly have infidelity observations, they eventually resemble each other. But you have different case constellations, different people involved, and people who commission you, different family circumstances that play a role, very different types of offenders in criminal cases. That means you have an enormous variety of different fields of activity that you can get to know as a detective. It is not only observing on the street; there is also research that has to be done. And that can, of course, also be very exciting because it has a lot to do with mental effort, because it has a lot to do with how you structure your thoughts and order the facts before you to ultimately arrive at a result that is satisfying for the clients."

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

With regard to the new – female – Swiss Tatort team Anna Pieri Zuercher and Carol Schuler, who were to appear in the leading roles from autumn 2020 onwards, the Swiss daily newspaper Blick interviewed private investigator Patrick Kurtz of the Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland about the proportion of women in the detective profession.

The “Tatort” Deception

“Carol Schuler and Anna Pieri Zuercher are replacing Stefan Gubser and Delia Mayer in the Swiss Tatort. The idea that two female commissioners solve crimes together is a fantasy construct. In reality, they are a small minority.

Women take charge of investigations on screen – in reality, they are a small minority

Swiss Tatort fans are still rubbing their eyes in astonishment. The day before yesterday at noon, SRF presented the new investigative duo consisting of two women. Winterthur-born Carol Schuler (32) and Romandy actress Anna Pieri Zuercher (40) will be hunting criminals from 2020 onwards as Tessa Ott and Isabelle Grandjean, replacing Stefan Gubser (61) and Delia Mayer (52). This astonishing reshuffling fits the major change associated with the long-announced shift of the show's location from Lucerne to Zurich. “We want to show a modern Zurich,” explains SRF head of fiction Urs Fitze (61) regarding the drastic changes. “We no longer want to cling so closely to reality but instead allow ourselves greater freedoms and give fictional storytelling more space.”

The current situation at the Zurich Cantonal Police further shows that an all-female duo has little to do with reality. Female investigators are a minority in Zurich, as the authorities confirm: “The roughly 20 staff members who investigate homicides for the Zurich Cantonal Police – as the commissioners do in Tatort – are field sergeants with special duties,” says their media spokesperson Rebecca Tilen (37). “One fifth of them are women. In general, approximately 20 percent of Kapo Zurich’s employees are women.”

“Two women are unlikely”

Zurich detective Patrick Kurtz (29) knows: “In all my work, I have never seen an investigative team consisting of two women. Usually, two men are on the job together, occasionally a man and a woman, but two women are very unlikely.”

The same applies, by the way, in the private detective industry, says Kurtz. For good reason: “The two sectors are built on one another. Many investigators in the private sector previously worked for the police. If the police have a high share of men, that automatically means a high share of men in detective agencies as well.”

Quotas are King

Why, then, is SRF opting for this essentially unrealistic model? Quite simply: quotas are king. “The female commissioners are very successful with audiences,” states the Tatort page of ARD when asked why there are so many female investigators. “The remote control is always right.”

Text: Patricia Broder and Jean-Claude Galli

Note

The original article appeared in the Swiss daily newspaper Blick. Emphases (bold text) and hyperlinks on this page may differ from the original.

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Detective Patrick Kurtz in an interview with the Winterthurer Zeitung

Patrick Kurtz, active as a social detective in Switzerland, speaks in an interview with the Winterthurer Zeitung about the changes in his profession following the wave-making Federal Council ordinance on the general part of social insurance law.

Monitoring of insured persons in Switzerland

"The Swiss electorate has approved the 'Monitoring of Insured Persons' proposal. We asked Patrick Kurtz, owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency in Zurich, also active in Winterthur, what needs to be regulated in the Federal Council’s ongoing consultation in order to safeguard personal rights."

Following the vote on social detectives comes the implementation of the Federal Council ordinance on the general part of social insurance law (ATSV). Detective Patrick Kurtz explains what the voting result triggered, what the current situation is, and where the new ordinance is intended to take effect.

Explanatory video of the Swiss Federal Council (Germany only)

Have any inquiries from insurance companies come in yet?

Patrick Kurtz: "So far we haven’t noticed anything; others must have been pleased with assignments. Since work as a social detective only accounts for a very small part of our revenue, I had the feeling from the start that the topic was being given far more significance than the reality actually warrants."

What are the current professional requirements for people who may undertake monitoring?

Patrick Kurtz: "The legal situation is unfortunately such that not even a detective training is required, although a 'normal', i.e., standardised form of detective training does not exist in Switzerland or Germany. Criticism of the detective industry should therefore focus less on the powers and more on the competencies that supposedly qualify detectives for these powers. There are hardly any legal regulations in this regard, and this is the actual threat to personal rights in this whole matter. A qualified detective will disturb the target person as little as possible, will not intrude into their most personal life, and will only concentrate on observations relevant to the assignment for which there is a legal justification."

Is there a risk that ‘bad apples’ could compete for the monitoring work and damage the reputation of the industry?

Patrick Kurtz: "This risk exists in any industry without state-regulated training. Specifically for the detective profession, bad apples have always been part of the professional reality. Not all act with malicious intent; rather, they unknowingly harm themselves, their targets, and their clients through improper investigations due to mere lack of knowledge of theoretical and practical fundamentals."

Winterthur relies on the city police to monitor social assistance recipients. Is this a cost-effective solution because private detective agencies are more expensive?

Patrick Kurtz: "Foregoing the use of detective agencies in Winterthur certainly makes the budget more predictable. If funds are approved for us, there are initially no benchmarks to calculate what return to expect: How many payments to now-identified social welfare fraudsters can be saved in the future? How much can be recovered in repayments and fines? Winterthur initially takes the safe route. I can understand that from a fiscal policy perspective; however, this safety-minded approach naturally also foregoes the opportunity to improve a situation that many taxpayers find unsatisfactory. I can only communicate my impression that the municipalities that have worked with us in the past generally found this cooperation very fruitful."

Note

The original article appeared in the Winterthurer Zeitung. The highlights (bold text) and links on this page may differ from the original.

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Patrick Kurtz from Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich in an Interview with XING Switzerland

Surely you have also seen exciting crime shows on television, in which the private detective solves a mystery just before the end of the film, saving the victim from death. How accurate the depiction of a detective’s work in these films really is, you can now find out for yourself. This week, the editorial team of XING Switzerland interviewed Patrick Kurtz. He works as a private detective and is the owner of Kurtz Detective Agency in Zurich. Play detective yourself today and learn more about a detective’s professional daily routine in the interview:

What kind of cases do you take on?

We accept assignments from private individuals, companies, organisations, as well as from government institutions. The most common cases revolve around fraud – whether it is infidelity in private life, sick leave fraud in companies, or social welfare fraud against the public. Property offences such as embezzlement, misappropriation, or theft also fall within our areas of expertise.

What training did you complete to work as a private detective?

I completed a six-month full-time training as an "IHK Detective Specialist" at the Security Academy Berlin. Unfortunately, there are no nationwide prerequisites in Switzerland or Germany to practice this profession. For this reason, individuals without any prior knowledge often harm the reputation of the industry.

Most long-standing detectives in Switzerland have a previous career at an investigative authority, where they could learn the essential skills for this profession. I consider this a meaningful career path to start working as a detective under optimal conditions.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

You might be surprised: it is very "desk-based". As I am now predominantly occupied with the administration of Kurtz Detective Agency, my main workspace is the desk. From here, clients and prospects are advised, investigation reports are reviewed, operations coordinated, invoices issued, and so on. But even fieldwork often requires endurance, as a typical day of a detective consists of surveillance that often involves long periods of waiting. Patience and perseverance, especially mentally, are required day after day.

Can you tell me about one of your cases?

Several years ago, we contributed to a family reunion. My client was looking for his daughter (21). He had not seen her since separating from his then-wife. "I am getting old," he told us, "and you start remembering mistakes you later regret. I now finally want to meet my daughter before it is possibly too late for me, and for that I need your help."

As a first step, we conducted an online search, which yielded a large number of results but made it almost impossible to identify the correct contact without further exclusion criteria. From previous maintenance payments, my client knew his ex-wife’s bank account, which we checked the same evening. However, there had been no transactions for over three years, so we could not research a current address this way.

After various investigative measures, we approached the current tenants of the last known address – a retail store. The shop owner remembered a woman matching the description who had a daughter of that age. However, he could not provide further information. Similarly, questioning the landlord yielded little additional information.

Meanwhile, the result of a database request we had commissioned became available. It produced a number of other addresses. One of our private detectives visited the most recent of these addresses to check it on site: nowhere on the doorbells was there any indication of the mother’s or daughter’s names. Only the landlord at this address knew the sought persons. He reported that he had already prepared the rental contracts for them, but shortly before moving in, they withdrew and cancelled the apartment. Why they did so and where they had gone, the landlord did not know.

Since the previous investigations had generated a whole list of previously unknown residential addresses, we repeated the initial online search with the new search parameters. We hit a result: an obituary from 2012 created by a person with the name of the sought daughter. The deceased bore the name of the daughter’s grandfather, i.e., the client’s former father-in-law. With the newly obtained information, we now knew that the client’s daughter must have lived at address XY for at least a certain period. Following this clue, we found a very informative social media profile of the daughter – and were able to inform our client that he had in the meantime become a grandfather.

By indirect means, we finally obtained the daughter’s phone number and – after consulting with her – were able to pass this important information on to her father. A few days later, he reported that he had immediately contacted his daughter and arranged a meeting.

How the story continued, we do not know. But at least they had the opportunity to see each other again.

Where do you see the advantages and disadvantages of your profession?

The profession is extremely varied, versatile, and independently executable. I can participate in human destinies through this job and ideally positively influence them. Due to the diversity of clients – which includes not only people from different social backgrounds and regions, but also sometimes key decision-makers from politics or large corporations – I learn a tremendous amount that is hidden from the public. This is incredibly exciting and makes working as a private detective very special.

However, what can be considered a particular feature of the profession also counts among the disadvantages. As a private detective, one encounters a lot of suffering and human abysses, which are not always pleasant to see. If someone values a secure job with a precisely calculable monthly income, they should look elsewhere. Many traditional detective tasks have disappeared due to new digital possibilities, and therefore the future prospects of this profession are, in my assessment, unfortunately very uncertain.

Note

The original article was published on XING. Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich thanks XING Switzerland for the interest and the well-made contribution.

The highlights (bold text) and links on this page may differ from the original.

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

For her comprehensive article in the Zürich Tagesanzeiger on the topic of crime and employee misconduct in the workplace, journalist Denise Jeitziner interviewed private detective Patrick Kurtz, owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich. A transcript of the article from June 14, 2018, is provided below.

Transcript “Crime Scene: Workplace”

"One in four employees has already stolen in the office, manipulated expenses, tampered with time tracking, or otherwise behaved improperly. However, the misconduct is not due to financial need.

At the cashier, it was two stolen packs of whole-grain crackers and two packs of cold cuts. The cook took a vacuum-packed lettuce, two slices of bread, a Silser roll, and a liter of cream in her handbag. And the executive at the Federal Police falsified longer working hours by cheating when clocking in and out during lunch.

Three examples of workplace misconduct, three immediate terminations that all went to the Federal Court, and the same decision each time: All three employees were rightly dismissed, even though the misconduct might not seem severe. “In cases of theft at the workplace, even a minor amount usually does not affect the legality of immediate dismissal,” explains Roger Rudolph, Professor of Labor and Private Law at the University of Zurich, regarding the recent, stricter practice of the Federal Court. Theft is considered a breach of the trust relationship necessary in working life, regardless of the value of the stolen goods.

Mostly long-term employees

Most of us have stolen something at some point. Of course, not seriously, just small things, nothing worth mentioning. A pen, without ill intent. Occasionally a few folders and a pack of printer paper for home office use. A toilet roll, because one suddenly realized the last sheet was gone in the morning.

The more daring regularly manipulate their expense and time reports, never pay for their cafeteria lunch, and even take more valuable items such as computer monitors and office chairs from inventory. Kurtz Detective Agency Switzerland reports the case of an employee who, on the side, organized parties and concerts and took toilet paper from office supplies. By the time he was caught after more than a year, he had already taken toilet paper worth over ten thousand Swiss francs.

Interestingly, most thefts or fraud are not committed out of financial need or criminal intent. Nor are the usual suspects such as freelancers, cleaning staff, or other external personnel involved: “The majority of offenders are employees themselves,” says Patrick Kurtz, whose detectives in Switzerland handle company assignments in about 20–30% of cases. “Notably, they are often long-term employees who have previously done a good job.”

Frustration leads to misconduct

The Swiss Human Resources Barometer, which regularly surveys employee sentiment in Switzerland, attempted to identify the causes of such misconduct in its previous report. “The likelihood is higher when employees have low trust in their employer,” says project leader Anja Feierabend. Employees who perceive limited opportunities on the job market or cannot openly discuss problems with their boss tend to misbehave more. In short, dissatisfaction at work increases the likelihood of employees acting improperly toward their company.

The employment relationship can be likened to a partnership that begins to falter when demands rise without an increase in pay, recognition is withheld, or promotions are missed—leading to frustration and disappointment. The more engaged and loyal an employee has been, the greater the disappointment, much like in a long-term relationship.

So what does one do when feeling unfairly treated and in a weaker position? One seeks their own form of justice, or at least a small revenge, justifying it quietly with the thought that the company can absorb minor losses and is partly at fault itself. The cook mentioned earlier was annoyed that 180 CHF was deducted from her salary for lunch, which seemed unfairly high. Her boss insisted, so she resorted to “self-justice” by taking the vacuum-packed lettuce.

In today’s world, with increasing workplace demands and employee expectations, it is likely that more individuals will take liberties with company rules.

Anja Feierabend also suspects this. Although overall job satisfaction in Switzerland had improved slightly in the 2016 HR Barometer survey, a detailed analysis shows that one in three employees is only “resignedly satisfied.” This indicates that many employees remain at their jobs but may increasingly engage in workplace misconduct as a conscious or unconscious outlet for their frustration.

A representative GfK study three years ago found that one in four admitted to having taken something at work at least once. Men (28%) did so more often than women (23%) and were less likely to feel guilty. Or they might leave early, not record vacation days, or take care of private matters during work hours. Few companies involve compliance departments or detective agencies for such minor acts. However, for larger amounts, to set an example, or to remove troublesome employees, they certainly do.

Cases are often resolved internally

When Patrick Kurtz and his colleagues are hired, there is usually already a suspicion of who the culprit is, with only the proof missing. Occasionally, there are surprises: Kurtz recounts a case of a restaurant owner who suspected the accountant of diverting money to a private account. “It turned out that the entire staff of about ten people was in on it together.”

How often such offenses occur and the total annual damage to Swiss companies from employee misconduct is not tracked by the Federal Statistical Office. Specific data are also scarce because companies often prefer to handle incidents internally rather than initiate long and costly criminal proceedings.

“I can confirm, however, that such cases repeatedly occupy the courts,” says Professor Rudolph. This may also be due to more companies adopting ethical codes or similar behavioral guidelines and acting more consistently when rules are violated.

One strategy is strict enforcement. The other is to restore the employment relationship. Satisfied employees are far less likely to harm their company than frustrated ones."

Note

The highlights (bold text) and links on this page were added by Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland and do not appear in the original article.

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Helene Obrist from the Swiss news portal Watson.ch interviewed Detective Patrick Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Detective Agency Zurich and Switzerland, regarding the new Social Detectives Act in the Swiss Confederation:

"The new law on social detectives is controversial. Patrick Kurtz, owner of the Kurtz Detective Agency, spoke with us about GPS tracking, empathy and alleged murder assignments."

Technical Tools for Exposing Fraudsters

watson: "Mr Kurtz, social detectives who expose potential insurance fraudsters are being widely discussed at the moment. How often are you assigned to people who are unlawfully collecting money?"

Patrick Kurtz: "That happens frequently. Most of our investigations are related to fraud cases. In the private sector, it is primarily adultery or infidelity. In the corporate sector, it includes sick leave fraud, time-sheet manipulation, or indeed insurance fraud and welfare abuse."

watson: "In investigating welfare abuse, detectives like yourself are supposed to receive more observational possibilities through a new law. For example, GPS devices, drones or geo-location could be used. What is your opinion on that?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Tools such as GPS tracking would be extremely valuable for us. Because the current legal situation is uncertain, we have not yet used drones or GPS tracking. However, if we were granted authorisation, it would greatly assist us in case investigations. This would also be in the interest of the community."

watson: "Why?"

Patrick Kurtz: "At present, we have to rely primarily on our own eyes. This often takes a lot of time and patience. With technical data, such as continuous location tracking, a case could potentially be resolved more quickly. And you would have hard evidence to present in court. Furthermore, one could argue that this way, the person does not have to be followed at every step, but only observed in terms of their current location. One could ask whether this is not a lesser intrusion into the target’s personal rights than being shadowed by a detective."

Observations in the Detective’s Daily Work

watson: "Privacy aside: Do you ever feel guilty or show empathy during your work?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Basically, we only observe public spaces. And we are not the clients who have the suspicion. We merely carry out the assignment. I rarely feel empathy. Except once, when I observed a lady every afternoon for a month under suspicion of infidelity. However, she always went home promptly after work, and her partner’s suspicion of infidelity could not be confirmed. I felt sorry for the lady."

watson: "How does a surveillance assignment even come about?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Normally, we first meet with the client, which can be a company, a private individual or even a public authority. Then it is a matter of determining the most effective time for an observation and when the highest chance of success exists. Then we clarify how many investigators are needed on site, how many vehicles are required ..."

watson: "And what happens on site?"

Patrick Kurtz: "It is, of course, very different from what is shown in many films. Most observations are unspectacular. Patience is paramount. Often one sits for hours in a car waiting for the target to leave the premises."

The Detective Profession: Requirements and Risks

watson: "What is needed to be a good detective?"

Patrick Kurtz: "In my opinion, endurance and concentration are extremely important. One must not be distracted. Observations usually last for hours, so you must not miss the moment when something happens because you were distracted. Intelligence and physical fitness are also very important. Often you have to research and combine information. And sometimes you cannot sit down for hours or must sit in a car in freezing cold or blazing heat waiting for the target to appear."

watson: "Has your cover ever been blown and you were caught?"

Patrick Kurtz: "That happens very rarely. It has happened to me only once."

watson: "How did that happen?"

Patrick Kurtz: "I was observing a target with a colleague who was suspected of abusing sick leave. The target lived in a very small village. My colleague and I waited in cars at the village exit and monitored the target from a distance using binoculars and telephoto lenses. Occasionally, a farmer would drive past on a tractor. One of these farmers must have tipped off our target. Shortly afterwards, they lured us into the town, knocked on my car door and said I could stop observing."

watson: "What happened then?"

Patrick Kurtz: "We withdrew. However, we were still able to successfully conclude the case. It turned out that the person, although on sick leave, had participated in a bodybuilding competition."

Regarding Dubious Assignments

watson: "What is the strangest thing you have ever experienced?"

Patrick Kurtz: "That is a difficult question (thinks). Once we were contacted by a Ukrainian gentleman who asked us to locate an address. At the end of the conversation, he turned to my colleague and ran his finger across his throat saying, ‘Once you find him ...’. He actually wanted to hire us for a murder! After that session, we promptly refused the case."

watson: "Do you ever refuse assignments, or stop ongoing observations?"

Patrick Kurtz: "Yes, that happens. In the previous example with the surveillance of the partner, I stopped after one month, even though the client wanted me to continue. Sometimes we also refuse assignments from the start, namely when the personal or business relationship between the client and the target is such that we could not legitimately provide the client with information."

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Sources:

https://www.watson.ch/Schweiz/Interview/563784525---Mitleid-habe-ich-selten-------was-ein-Detektiv-ueber-Bespitzelung-denkt

https://www.solothurnerzeitung.ch/schweiz/sozialdetektiv-ueber-bespitzelung-gps-tracking-waere-extrem-wertvoll-fuer-uns-132404924 

https://www.bzbasel.ch/schweiz/sozialdetektiv-ueber-bespitzelung-gps-tracking-waere-extrem-wertvoll-fuer-uns-132404924

Major losses caused by tenants unwilling or unable to pay

An unfortunately frequent annoyance for any property owner: a new tenant moves in and from the very first moment, one has to chase payments. Temporary financial difficulties are just as often cited as personal problems, with the promise that the tenant will soon be liquid and pay the owed amount immediately. So-called rental fraudsters move into apartments (or even hotel rooms) although they either never intend to pay the rent for the spaces they occupy, or do not have the financial means to do so. The landlord is deceived about the tenant’s ability and willingness to pay already at the contract signing, which is why these cases also fall under Art. 146 “Fraud” of the Swiss Penal Code (StGB).

Unlike fraud cases in which there was an intention from the outset to cause financial damage to another for one’s own enrichment, a tenant who unexpectedly loses the ability to pay rent after signing the contract is not a rental fraudster, as there was simply no fraudulent intent. Accordingly, it is essential to distinguish between mere debtors and criminals. By conducting research into the tenant, focusing in particular on their previous payment and rental behaviour, Kurtz Investigations Zurich and Switzerland verify the situation on behalf of affected landlords and gather court-admissible evidence in confirmed cases of rental fraud: +41 44 5522 264.

Rogue Tenants, a Special Case of Rental Fraud

While a rental fraudster does not necessarily have to be a serial offender who constantly deprives landlords of their rent, so-called rogue tenants are, by definition, notorious repeat offenders: as soon as their inability or unwillingness to pay and their fraud in Apartment A is discovered, they arrange a lease for Apartment B, the rent of which they will, of course, also not pay. After the fraud in Apartment B is uncovered, they move to Apartment C, and so on. Because their departures often take place in rapid “hit-and-run” style, the apartments are frequently left in a dilapidated state. Consequently, the owner suffers not only the loss of unpaid rent but must also clear, deep-clean, and often even renovate the apartment. To pursue this particularly troubling form of rental fraud and bring offenders to justice, our corporate detectives in Switzerland are regularly deployed with success. As rogue tenants are usually unknown, locating their whereabouts is the most important step to success in most cases, as only then can claims be served.

Rogue tenants do not necessarily have to be socially disadvantaged families taking advantage of landlords’ goodwill or fleeing from apartment to apartment out of fear of penalties. It can just as well be an apparently trustworthy, well-dressed banker who, with his openly displayed wealth, initially presents no problem to a landlord or hotel management. Even affluent individuals can defraud by never intending from the outset to pay. For example, an attractive couple may check into the finest suites of luxury hotels, yet depart without paying in full (often using bad cheques, false identities, or stolen/falsified payment details), only to check into another hotel shortly afterwards. While Hollywood occasionally romanticises such antisocial lifestyles on screen, in reality it is simply crime at the expense of others – and thus cases for our private detectives in Zurich, Lausanne, Geneva, and across Switzerland.

Investigation Options by Kurtz Investigations Zurich and Switzerland

While both the rental fraudster and, for example, a newly separated tenant whose access to jointly earned funds has been blocked by their ex-partner, may assure the landlord that they always intended to pay the rent, only one of the two is guilty of fraud. However, the landlord cannot tell from appearances alone whether Person A is a fraudster, nor can they exclude it for Person B. Our Zurich detective team can, through background checks – for example with previous landlords, other creditors, or past and current employers – create a profile of the tenant. This information allows conclusions to be drawn regarding their reliability. If past rent payments and utility bills were always settled on time, the current defaulting tenant may indeed just be experiencing an unexpected financial shortfall.

Evidence points in a different direction, however, if our Swiss private detectives find that other landlords have already been defrauded, that the tenant has negative marks in one or more credit agencies, that debt collection procedures have been initiated against them in the past or present, or even criminal proceedings due to damaged apartments or fraud. Depending on the seriousness of the findings, it can be assumed that the tenant deliberately deceived the landlord to obtain the apartment and a roof over their head. With the court-admissible documentation our corporate investigators collect for their clients, rogue tenants can be legally restrained and the apartment lawfully evicted.

Difficult Termination of Tenancy in Switzerland: Swiss Investigators Recommend Pre-Tenant Checks

Rogue tenants are generally well aware of the statutory deadlines landlords must observe, and often disappear a few days before these deadlines, preventing financial or legal recourse in the meantime. Article 257d of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) stipulates that for residential and commercial premises, a 30-day grace period must first be granted for unpaid rent to be settled; if ignored, the landlord may only terminate with an additional minimum 30-day notice at the end of a month. In the worst case, landlords may lose up to three months’ rent before they can order the eviction of the rental fraudster.

For all these reasons, our detectives for Bern, Graubünden, and Ticino recommend checking tenants across Switzerland in advance or having them professionally vetted, while always keeping a few basic points in mind:

1. Request photographic ID from new tenants and verify authenticity (visual and tactile examination of security features, comparison of photos with the real persons).
2. Never grant access to the rental property until the deposit has been paid.
3. Ask prospective tenants to provide a creditworthiness certificate.
4. Critically question information on the tenant’s rental history, CV, and employment. Many people have no qualms about exploiting goodwill!

If the situation has already become precarious, our Zurich corporate detective agency can, of course, use all its resources to compel the tenant to pay or gather evidence for court. The aim is always to minimise the landlord’s loss. Even with otherwise solvent tenants, this can recover unpaid rent, cover renovation costs, and claim damages for any rental loss, as well as detective fees. For insolvent tenants, it is often still possible to cover part or all of the costs by seizing assets.

Engaging Our Swiss Private Detective Agency

Are you a hotelier who has fallen victim to a rental fraudster? Or are you dealing with rogue tenants who have trashed your apartment and left it in need of renovation? Do you want your future tenant professionally screened to avoid unpleasant surprises? Then contact our detective agency in Switzerland during business hours for advice on procedures and conditions in your case. You can reach us by email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch or via our contact form, and by telephone at: +41 44 5522 264.

Author: Maya Grünschloss, PhD

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Hacker Attacks on Critical Hospital Data

The outrage in Switzerland and neighbouring countries is substantial: Hackers have repeatedly extorted Swiss hospitals by threatening to attack their servers and encrypt life-critical hospital data unless a considerable "ransom" is paid. A ruthless and simultaneously highly lucrative attack, given that hospitals deal with matters of life and death. The perpetrators deliberately jeopardise the health of innocent and uninvolved people to force a rapid payment. Their cyberattacks manifest in the encryption of patient records and other hospital documentation and can, in the worst case, halt hospital operations for several hours or even days, which could be fatal for risk and intensive care patients. Kurtz Investigations Switzerland can, with its detectives and IT experts, investigate such cases at an early stage to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

Unfortunately, it is not precisely known how many hospitals across Switzerland are affected, as only a few hacker attacks are reported; the hospitals concerned fear reputational damage from publication and attracting copycat criminals. In the Tages-Anzeiger, the head of a security agency warned of the cunning of the perpetrators, who appear to be professionals in their field and are not merely playing pranks; for example, a clinic in Los Angeles (USA) could do nothing against an extremely dangerous virus other than pay the requested 17,000 dollars to decrypt the hacked data. Our IT specialists in Switzerland investigate, on the one hand, the identities of perpetrators in cases of damage or concrete threats and, on the other hand, develop and implement individual IT security concepts for effective prevention: +41 44 5522 264.

No Company is Immune to Cybercrime

Companies of all sizes are, just like hospitals, constantly threatened by attacks from the internet. As soon as even a single cybercriminal devises a profitable plan for extortion or theft of sensitive data, their efforts can severely damage the affected business. If an attack occurred some time ago and is only discovered afterwards, it is often very difficult to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice, as although traces are left during the attacks, they can usually no longer be traced back to the culprit after a long period has passed. In cases of extortion, especially in hospitals, swift action is required to avoid endangering patient care, leaving very little room for manoeuvre. Early deployment of security experts can prevent the worst outcomes.

If our Zürich detective agency is engaged early to proactively identify and close security gaps, hackers can often be pre-empted and thwarted. This applies equally to innovative start-ups and long-established businesses, as all kinds of inventions, patents, and other protectable data are of potential interest to competitors and cybercriminals. Thus, the entire Swiss corporate landscape is threatened by cybercrime. One can only imagine the reputational damage the Swiss banking sector would suffer if the servers and data of one of its many renowned banks fell into the hands of hackers.

Diverse Motives of Cybercriminals

Internet attacks can occur for various reasons:

• If a large company is politically or ethically polarising, attacks may be motivated by ideology and aim to harm the company as much as possible.
• In hacks connected to extortion, the attacks are carried out to gain personal financial advantage.
• The most common reason for IT attacks remains corporate espionage: data and plans of successful companies are spied on to give the attacker’s own business an illegal competitive advantage, to plagiarise products, or to sell information to the highest bidder.

Our economic detectives in Switzerland have frequently encountered the latter scenario when engaged to investigate server attacks and identify perpetrators.

Intentional or Negligent – Employees as Perpetrators in Focus

It is a sad reality that not all cyberattacks are committed by outsiders or competitors. Job dissatisfaction, financial pressure, and other factors often drive previously loyal employees to illegally disclose information for personal gain. Not only intent, but negligence is also a significant factor – for example, employees who naïvely share access credentials and passwords when prompted by a phishing email. Staff fall into more or less sophisticated traps set by professional fraudsters who imitate the layout and language style of major companies (e.g., PayPal, eBay, Amazon) to trick inattentive or naive employees into visiting infected websites and/or sending passwords to the alleged customer service. Cybercriminals may thereby gain quick access to servers, company accounts, and cloud services without much effort.

Our Swiss economic detectives therefore always advise their clients, in cases of unwanted data leaks, to critically review their security concepts and address potential weaknesses. Furthermore, employees must be regularly trained in handling sensitive data and informed about the consequences of breaching confidentiality, disclosing secrets, or aiding espionage. Awareness of irregularities from all employees, from apprentices to senior management, also helps identify security leaks or unauthorised access to servers and data. This can place initial obstacles in the path of attackers, although it alone does not guarantee complete security. Our Zürich-based economic detective agency analyses your company’s IT structure on your behalf, implements structural improvements, and investigates the perpetrators of past incidents by tracing their digital footprints: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch.

Is Your Company at Risk? Swiss Private Detectives Take Immediate Action

Are you concerned that cybercriminals may be interested in your company and its unique innovations and data? Do you fear the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive information from within your organisation? Have you already been the victim of a hacker attack and want the perpetrators identified? In these and many other cases, our IT experts in Switzerland are available. Whether you wish to prevent incidents by developing a personalised security concept or trace the perpetrators after a cyberattack to bring them swiftly to justice and prevent further damage – our Swiss detective agency can help. Contact our staff free of charge for consultation and assignment: +41 44 5522 264.

Author: Maya Grünschloss, PhD

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

ECHR Considers Use of Detectives in Switzerland Unlawful in Individual Case

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), based in Strasbourg, issued a ruling this week that could have negative consequences for insurers and private investigators in Switzerland alike: In the case of a disability pensioner who had been observed by private detectives over several days on behalf of her insurance company during her daily activities, the court ruled that “Switzerland does not have sufficient legal grounds for the surveillance of insured persons.” The woman, now 62, had been classified as unable to work in 1995 following an accident; her accident insurance sought to reassess her health after several years to ensure no fraud was involved. The woman, however, refused to undergo a medical examination – which understandably raised suspicions with the insurer.

The accident insurance therefore decided to hire private detectives to observe her in her daily life. In the photographs taken by the Swiss detectives over four days of surveillance, the pensioner was seen walking long distances, driving considerable distances by car, and lifting shopping bags above her head – actions that had previously been diagnosed as impossible in an earlier medical report. In a first lawsuit before the Swiss Federal Court, the insurers were granted the right to reduce the benefits by 10 per cent after a doctor assessed the woman as only 10 per cent disabled based on the surveillance findings.

Since the surveillance took place in public, it could – according to the court – be considered lawful under social insurance law. The new ECHR ruling, however, states that Switzerland does not have adequate legal provisions to justify such an intrusion into privacy; the duration of the observation and the handling of evidence are not sufficiently clarified by law. Our Zurich detective agency also doubts that, in this individual case, the suspicion was strong enough to establish a legitimate interest in the investigation. Unfortunately, this single disputed case could have far-reaching implications:

Work of Swiss Private Detectives at Risk – Carte Blanche for Fraudsters?

It is therefore all the more important for our Zurich detective agency that the Swiss Parliament enacts binding legislation to provide a legal basis for future surveillance commissioned by accident or disability insurers. It cannot be a solution to simply approve all applications for disability benefits without scrutiny, especially when there is suspicion of insurance fraud. The work of our economic investigators in Switzerland, and likewise that of reputable colleagues, is invaluable in uncovering social fraudsters who, at the expense of all contributors, may have been unlawfully receiving insurance benefits for years without any entitlement. Due to vague wording in the current disability insurance regulations, which justify the “use of experts” but do not make it clear to laypersons whether detectives can be employed to observe insured persons, it may currently be impossible in individual cases and depending on the canton to commission a detective.

Complicating matters further is the fact that the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne has already classified surveillance as legal on three occasions, assuming that observations are sufficiently protected by case law even if not explicitly by legislation. Moreover, the 62-year-old pensioner has not yet derived any direct benefit from her victory at the ECHR, as she is still considered only 10 per cent disabled in Switzerland. To obtain the full insurance sum, she must now return to the Swiss courts and undergo further health checks, which she had previously refused. What the ECHR deemed illegal was the fact that the legislation does not explicitly refer to surveillance, meaning insured persons are unaware that they can be monitored in cases of suspicion and must tolerate it. The use of detectives was thus declared unlawful solely because of a legal gap – at the European level, mind you. Our economic detective agency in Zurich is now naturally hoping for a swift adoption of relevant amendments to insurance laws to ensure that the deployment of detectives for insurers in all cases with concrete suspicion is legally justified. Otherwise, fraudsters might be further encouraged to claim insurance money illegally, believing they no longer need to fear investigative scrutiny – a potentially disastrous signal.

Approximately 10 per cent of all insurance cases in Switzerland involve fraudulent activity

The deployment of private detectives in Switzerland is not a sign of fundamental distrust of insured persons and should never be extended to blanket surveillance of all beneficiaries. Rather, such detective assignments involve spot checks of individual suspicious claimants, among whom experience over recent years shows there are always fraudsters whose actions impose additional costs on the public and can therefore be described as antisocial. The consequence of insurance fraud is that unlawfully obtained money is redistributed in the form of increased premiums to those who are legitimately entitled to treatment. Surveillance by detectives in individual cases is therefore crucial not only for insurers but also for insured persons, in order to avoid unnecessarily high premiums. According to the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA), around 10 per cent of reported insurance cases are fraudulent; the resulting damage runs into billions and significantly harms Switzerland’s economic strength. Preventing these fraudsters is in the interest of every citizen who earns a living honestly.

The fact that in recent years more and more fraud cases have been uncovered through detailed and careful individual examinations now takes on a bitter note following the Strasbourg ruling. This positive trend, which was also supported by Swiss detective agencies, may now be abruptly halted. As a first step, the accident insurance Suva has announced that it will initially cease using detectives, while some municipalities continue to use them in social welfare cases and cannot do without them. For example, according to the assessment of the local social department, the canton of Zurich is not affected by the Strasbourg ruling, as a legal basis exists here. In Suva, detective deployments have previously been rare: out of over 570 cases of suspicion per year, detectives were employed only 10 to 15 times. Roger Bolt, the official responsible for combating abuse, states: “We have other means of detecting abuse […]. But detectives are used as a last resort and are therefore not easily replaceable” (Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung).

Suspicion? Detectives Provide Free Advice

If your authority, law firm, or immediate private circle has doubts about a social welfare case, our social detectives in Switzerland are still legally permitted to observe suspects in order to verify whether a welfare case actually exists. If you, as an insurer, have a well-founded suspicion of insurance fraud, contact our detective agency in Zurich to clarify the legal issues – we will gladly advise you on the latest developments and options. You can reach us by email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch or by telephone on +41 44 5522 264.

Author: Maya Grünschloss, PhD

Kurtz Investigations Zürich and Switzerland

Max-Högger-Strasse 6

8048 Zürich

Tel.: +41 (0)44 5522 264

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-zuerich-schweiz

Step 1 of the Return: A Play Keeps the Master Detective Alive

In the last part of our series The Private Detective in Literature, the great Arthur Conan Doyle had left us in shock: At the end of The Final Problem (1893), Holmes plunges with his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty over the Reichenbach Falls – Sherlock Holmes is dead, and a return seems impossible! Doyle had lost interest in the greatest of all detectives, preferring to write adventure novels and apparently even to serve in the war rather than continue with his hero.

Wonderful and quite successful works did emerge during this time, but the master detective played no role in them. Fans were disappointed and demanded more adventures of their hero. And indeed, their calls did not go completely unheard: Charles Frohman, an American theatre producer, apparently knew exactly how to win Conan Doyle over, as Doyle had always wanted to write a play. Frohman offered him that opportunity, but it had to be with Sherlock Holmes! Doyle took the bait: In November 1899, Sherlock Holmes premiered, a play brought to the stage by Doyle together with author and lead actor William Gillette. Although most of the work was actually done by Gillette, Doyle had to admit that Sherlock Holmes had lost none of his appeal. The play was a huge success for over 20 years in both the U.S. and the U.K., and Gillette’s portrayal of Holmes with deerstalker hat and cape became iconic, as did the phrases newly introduced for the play, “Elementary, my dear Watson!” and the Calabash pipe (see also our articles on detectives and pipes). In the London performance with Gillette in 1903, a 13-year-old boy also appeared, who would later become a film icon: the young Charlie Chaplin.

Step 2 of the Return: The Hound of the Baskervilles

The play was on everyone’s lips and was even filmed a few years later (1916, rediscovered in 2014, subsequently restored, and available online at irregular intervals since 2015). Despite the immense success of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle was still reluctant to fully return to his hero at the beginning of the century: A brief political venture and a longer involvement in the Boer War kept him busy. Shortly thereafter, Doyle fell ill with typhoid and traveled to Norfolk for recovery, where he heard tales of a mythical ghost dog haunting an old, wealthy family. Couldn’t this be something for our old friend Sherlock Holmes? The play with Gillette takes place chronologically before the events of The Final Problem and therefore does not follow the events at the Swiss Reichenbach Falls. Doyle thought this principle might open doors to giving Holmes life again without actually resurrecting him. Soon after, he devised a story that allowed him to do just that and became his greatest success: The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Set a few years before the events of The Final Problem, it is this time a long, dark, and atmospheric adventure that engages the master detective and remains the most famous work about Sherlock Holmes to this day. The Strand Magazinewas again a grateful publisher: After Doyle had killed off his brilliant character in The Final Problem, several thousand disappointed subscribers canceled their subscriptions, bringing the magazine to the brink of ruin. Without its “draw,” the numbers fell, and for eight years the magazine struggled to produce real hits – so a new Sherlock Holmes adventure came at just the right time, and Doyle’s salary demands were met without objection. As was customary at the time, The Hound of the Baskervilles was first published in serial form from August 1901 to April 1902, and a month before the third and final part was released, the complete book appeared in shop windows. The novel was a sensational success, and readers demanded more! Pressure on Doyle grew until he had to admit that the story of Sherlock Holmes might not yet be fully told, as reported by the Kurtz Detective Agency in Zürich and Switzerland. But first, a trailer for the restored 1916 silent film Sherlock Holmes:

Step 3 of the Return: Resurrection | Lazarus from the Swiss Waterfall

The Strand Magazine made Doyle an offer he could not refuse, and he began writing. By September 1903, the long-awaited moment for fans worldwide had arrived: In The Adventure of the Empty House, Doyle resurrected the greatest detective of all time – literally. Doyle decided not just to write further cases from Holmes’ pre-Reichenbach days, but to craft a highly engaging story that continued the plot without seeming implausible or forced.

Three years had passed since Sherlock Holmes’ disappearance, and Dr. Watson, still fascinated by criminal cases, was at a murder scene as usual. He encountered an older, deformed book collector who later revealed his identity as the supposedly dead Sherlock Holmes! Holmes had survived his duel with Moriarty at the Meiringen Reichenbach Falls and faked his death to escape his enemies. In the following years, he traveled incognito to the most remote corners of the criminal underworld until the events surrounding the current murder brought him back to London to finally dismantle Moriarty’s criminal network.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes – A Highly Profitable Venture for Author, Publisher, and Readers

So he is back after ten years of absence. Doyle brings Holmes back because readers demanded it, and they returned in large numbers after the “revival.” Subscriptions to the Strand Magazine even exceeded the levels of Holmes’ “first” lifetime, quickly offsetting the loss during his absence. A highly profitable venture for the magazine and, of course, for Doyle. By December 1904, twelve more short stories followed, and in 1905 they were compiled as usual in a collection: The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Was that really the end? Arthur Conan Doyle’s war chest had been well filled by the new publications – but had the author also regained his literary enthusiasm for his hero? Well, at least there would not be another long pause as in the previous years – elementary! Doyle had apparently made peace with Sherlock Holmes and continued his work – but more on that in next week’s part of our series.

Author: Gerrit Koehler

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