Embezzlement in Zwickau: Manipulation of Cash Register Receipts

Continuous property crimes over several years?

The owner of an organic supermarket in Zwickau, whom we’ll call Mr. Colditz, had long suspected one of his long-term employees of cash register embezzlement. To explain the case in more detail to our detective agency in Zwickau*, he invited one of our corporate investigators to his home. After a very cordial welcome, Mr. Colditz reported that the suspected employee had, in all likelihood, been committing property crimes against his business for two to three years; only the legal proof was missing. To obtain this, he contacted our private detectives in Zwickau (+49 341 6970 4082).

Suspected method of the perpetrator

The target person was suspected of logging into the register system either with his own employee ID or with those of colleagues and then committing fraud in two ways:

1. Fake deposit returns: Nonexistent bottle deposits were faked digitally, and the corresponding cash amounts were removed from the till.
2. Fake product returns: Supposedly opened groceries and/or cosmetics were entered as returned by customers due to “wrong purchases.” Again, the respective cash refunds were taken.

To avoid immediate detection, the target person created receipts reflecting these fictitious withdrawals and placed them in the register for accounting. This made it impossible for our client to notice the fraud right away. Only after several internal audits and stock counts were the discrepancies detected.

After the entire situation was clearly and credibly outlined at the client’s private residence, our detective in Zwickau and Mr. Colditz decided to initiate a direct on-site surveillance in the supermarket to observe and legally document another theft by the target person. This could potentially require several days of observation.

Observation at the register: Transactions without customers?

The surveillance setup turned out to be unusually convenient: there was a café directly across from the store with a clear view of the cash register area. Thus, our private investigator didn’t have to spend hours waiting in a car in scorching heat or freezing cold but could instead observe comfortably from a café table — coffee and cake included. This assignment aimed to provide legally sound evidence of commercial fraud and embezzlement, for which the perpetrator faced up to ten years in prison (§263 German Criminal Code, Fraud).

After only 20 minutes, our corporate detective in Zwickau saw the target person performing multiple register entries — even though there were no customers present. Five minutes later, the same happened again. The investigator and Mr. Colditz discreetly agreed that the business owner would check the register log via the computer system. If unauthorized transactions appeared, Mr. Colditz would signal this to our detective with a previously agreed nonverbal sign.

Confrontation – Notarial acknowledgment of debt?

Once Mr. Colditz gave the signal, he and our investigator confronted the target with the observed offenses. The detective led most of the conversation, as he had extensive experience in interrogations and mediation and often successfully obtains notarized acknowledgments of debt. These documents can vary in content but usually offer leniency if the perpetrator admits guilt and agrees to compensate for the financial damage.

The exchange followed a familiar pattern: initial denial, then confrontation with solid evidence, and finally the presentation of the remaining options — either signing the acknowledgment of debt or facing criminal and civil proceedings. In most cases, offenders choose the first option to avoid imprisonment. This case was no exception. The employee confessed to having stolen between €50 and €150 weekly for several years. To conceal the theft, he fabricated bottle deposit and product return receipts and placed them in the till for reconciliation.

Damage assessment and termination of employment

After the confession, the three parties reviewed the suspicious transactions from recent years for several hours. The total damage was determined to be €10,000, which, in the opinion of our private investigator in Zwickau, was quite lenient. Finally, they agreed on an immediate termination of the employee’s contract and issued a one-year ban from the premises.

All names and locations have been changed to fully protect the privacy of both client and target.

Kurtz Detective Agency Leipzig | Germany
Beuchaer Straße 10
04318 Leipzig

Tel.: +49 341 6970 4082
Mobile: +49 163 8033 967
Email: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-leipzig.de
Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-leipzig.de/en
Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-leipzig