Donation Scandal in Broad Daylight – A Case for Kurtz Investigations Hamburg

Wolfgang Simmering was quite astonished last December when he found an unusually large number of donation appeals and solicitation letters in his letterbox, even for Christmas, as he tells our investigators at Kurtz Detective Agency Hamburg. "Not only by post, but also by columns of activists, you are bombarded at that time," the 58-year-old from Hamburg continues. The year 2014 had simply been that bad, with so many wars, crises and refugee tragedies – no one could remain unaffected, not even him.

 

Simmering therefore donated a considerable sum, but, as he admits in retrospect, he was rather naïve: "You know the major charitable organisations, they are on site and help wherever they can – but I would also like to see something happening right on my doorstep!" One must show solidarity and help people, even in one’s own surroundings, says the client of our Hamburg detectives. Simmering, who has been volunteering for years, wanted to support refugee aid in Hamburg and came across an organisation that was specifically promoting and initiating the financing and construction of a refugee accommodation, especially for refugees from Ukraine and Syria. That impressed him, he tells the detectives of Kurtz Investigations Hamburg, as such causes are often vague and not very concrete, and one never really knows where the money actually goes. Here, however, he had the feeling of being able to make a tangible contribution, and even in his immediate vicinity. Yet the enthusiasm did not last long.

The client of our Hamburg private investigators had kept both the leaflet he received from the activists in the city centre and the direct mail from his letterbox, intending to follow developments further. To this end, the organisation provided a website address and access via social media, both professionally designed and promising. One could follow updates on the alleged negotiations with the city and see how the planned accommodation was taking shape more concretely. The groundbreaking ceremony seemed imminent, but then – nothing happened! The website was no longer updated just a few weeks later and apparently taken offline soon afterwards, and the last entry on Facebook dates back to December. At some point, Simmering has had enough: not only because of the money, but because of the sheer audacity – because if it is indeed a sham organisation, the money has not gone to refugees but into the pockets of brazen fraudsters. The client of our Hamburg detectives does not wish to file a police report blindly, as there is still no concrete evidence of fraud, even though everything points in that direction. Simmering therefore turns to Kurtz Detective Agency Hamburg to have our investigators clarify whether he and many others have fallen victim to fraudsters or whether there are merely organisational problems on the part of the association – problems that, however, have persisted suspiciously long.

 

The detectives at Kurtz Investigations Hamburg immediately begin their inquiries, initially conducting internet research, which, however, yields little of value. Although the organisation’s website is no longer online, its presence on the usual social media platforms remains a first point of reference. Indeed, information about the planned refugee accommodation and the progress of efforts can still be found there, but all entries are at least five weeks old and end on 28 December of the previous year. No address or contact details are provided, but there is one clue that leads the investigation in the decisive direction: according to the post, the planned refugee accommodation is to be built in an industrial area of Hamburg, and the plot of land is also shown in a photograph. Based on the background of the image, our Hamburg investigators are able to clearly identify the site, allowing the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Hamburg to proceed from there.

 

An on-site inspection is carried out the same day – ultimately in the hope of confirming the construction project and attributing the website issues to technical complications. And indeed, after a half-hour drive, the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Hamburg are met with a scene that initially raises hope: the plot suspected as the location matches the image online. It is clearly a construction site where groundwork has recently begun and work is in full progress. However, it does not appear to be a facility intended to house as many refugees as possible in humane conditions – of that, our investigators from Hamburg are certain.

Further research and questioning of the workers on site confirm this impression: what is being built on the site that was publicly presented online as a future refuge for the persecuted and oppressed is a furniture store! The suspicion of fraud thus solidifies considerably and is fully confirmed the following day: a comparison conducted by our investigators at the Hamburg land registry leaves no doubt regarding the lawful ownership of the property and the building plans for the furniture store. Neither the landowner nor the responsible administrative staff have ever heard of any planned refugee accommodation at that location and respond to the inquiries of the detectives at Kurtz Investigations Hamburg with confusion and indignation. The impression grows that the operator of the “donation organisation” had simply selected an arbitrary construction site to lend credibility to his scheme and then absconded with the funds collected thus far.

 

As a result of the investigations by Kurtz Detective Agency Hamburg, sufficient court-admissible evidence is now available to file a report with the Hamburg police against persons unknown. "The pre-Christmas period is the most important donation phase of the year; such offences are unfortunately observed time and again," a colleague from the authorities tells our Hamburg private investigators. In Germany, up to five billion euros are donated annually, and hundreds of thousands of associations and foundations compete for these funds. Most operate with good intentions and transparent structures, but there are always black sheep who pocket the money, which is then lacking elsewhere for essential needs such as gas, water and clothing, the colleague continues. He therefore recommends ensuring that charitable organisations carry a recognised donation seal if one wishes to be certain that the money reaches its intended destination. This seal is a reliable indicator that the organisation operates seriously and must usually be renewed annually following a transparency audit.

 

Mr Simmering, meanwhile, like many other Hamburg citizens, has a good chance of recovering his donated money: with the help of the findings from Kurtz Investigations Hamburg, the police are able to trace the initiator of the website, and it emerges that he has embezzled over 28,000 euros and will also have to answer for social security fraud: he had apparently employed more than 15 donation collectors at times, not including volunteers who acted in good faith, yet their social contributions were not paid.

Author: Gerrit Koehler

 

To protect the discretion as well as the personal rights of clients and target persons, all names and locations in this case report have been altered beyond recognition.

 

Kurtz Detective Agency Hamburg

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Image credits

1. "bw", Author: Rupert Ganzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
2. "Panorama IKEA Baustelle Hamburg-Altona", Author: Frerk Meyer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
3. ""Kein Mensch ist illegal!"", Author: blu-news.org: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/