Kurtz Detective Agency Bochum was recently consulted by Sat.1 NRW for expert commentary on the topic of fraud in car purchases. One of our private detectives in Bochum commented in the short TV segment as follows:

Sale of Stolen Vehicles by Fraudsters

Presenter: "A man cheated Björn from Witten out of €25,000. The fraudster had sold him a stolen car. Björn is now publicly searching for the criminal via a Facebook post. This is his only chance to get the money back."

Lawyer Arndt Kempgens: "If I buy something that is stolen, I cannot acquire it in good faith, which means I have to return it and the money is gone."

Presenter: "In front of the alleged residential building in Cologne, Björn had the seller’s identity card shown to him. It looked deceptively genuine, just like the forged registration papers and the overall behaviour of the fraudster."

Prevention Measure I: Check Registration

Presenter: "Holger is a private detective in Bochum and knows this method. We want to know how to protect oneself. The first tip: check the registration."

Detective from Kurtz Detective Agency Bochum: "Photograph the vehicle registration certificate, even if it is perfectly forged, for example with your mobile phone, in order to then consult with the police or, if necessary, our detectives in Bochum and ask: I would like to buy this car, are all the papers in order?"

Prevention Measure II: Verify Residence

Presenter: "As a second tip, the private detective from Bochum recommends: check the seller’s residence."

Detective from Kurtz Detective Agency Bochum: "You should really complete the purchase contract inside the house, by telling the seller: Can we handle the contractual details inside the house? I don’t want to do this here on the street with the money and so on. Then go inside with him and see if he actually has an apartment there and really lives there."

Prevention Measure III: Payment by Bank Transfer

Presenter: "Lawyer Arndt Kempgens from Gelsenkirchen knows that the payment process can also be crucial. The third tip: no cash payments."

Arndt Kempgens: "If you do not give the money in cash, but transfer it, then the seller receives the money immediately. But then you actually have a bank-verified name and account connection."

Presenter: "After Björn’s Facebook post, numerous people came forward who had been deceived by the same person. It is likely a criminal gang. Police investigations are ongoing, and not only Björn hopes that this man will be caught quickly."