Investigations in Cases of Blackmail

In 2014, a total of 1,657 offences against personal freedom became known in Frankfurt, some of them involving extortionate kidnapping. Because of the sensational media coverage of such abduction cases committed for the purpose of financial gain, it may appear that blackmail is always linked to kidnapping. However, this constellation of offences is relatively rare, as the investigators of Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt know from experience.

In most cases, blackmail involves information or secrets whose disclosure would be problematic – even existentially threatening – for the victim, thereby providing the perpetrator with leverage. Blackmailers may appear anonymously or openly. There are many ways in which our investigators from Frankfurt can assist in blackmail cases: identifying anonymous perpetrators and locating their addresses; gathering information that can serve as counter-leverage, leading to a stalemate; court-admissible documentation of blackmail attempts and threats to enforce cease and desist orders, damage compensation and claims for pain and suffering: +49 69 1201 8431.

Case Study: Blackmail Linked to Dependence on a Spouse

Far more frequently – and often unnoticed by the media – individuals, particularly entrepreneurs, are blackmailed without any form of deprivation of liberty taking place. A somewhat clichéd but recurrent scenario involves infidelity within a relationship, as illustrated by the following example:

Mr M. is the managing director of a large international company with several branches across Europe. He is middle-aged and has been more or less happily married for over 15 years. The relationship has grown rather monotonous over time, and although he would like to end the marriage, this is difficult because he is financially dependent on his wife and her family – the company belongs to his father-in-law. Mr M. travels frequently on business, usually without his wife, and he uses these trips for extramarital affairs, believing he cannot be caught abroad.

Dependence on the Blackmailer Through Marital Infidelity

Everything goes smoothly – until day X. While attending a trade fair in Florence, Mr M. arranges to have dinner with his interpreter after business hours. Over the following days, they spend considerable time together – not only professionally. One day, an employee of the company, who happens to be on holiday in Tuscany and sightseeing in Florence, spots his boss strolling affectionately through the old town with the interpreter and secretly takes photos documenting the infidelity.

Back in Germany, the employee requests a private meeting with Mr M., claiming that his work is insufficiently rewarded. Mr M. declines the request for a raise, whereupon the employee places printed copies of the photos on the table and tells him to reconsider his decision. He bluntly threatens to forward the images to Mr M.'s wife. Mr M. is fully aware that such exposure would cost him not only his marriage but also his financial security and his position as managing director. Through gritted teeth, he initially complies with the blackmail. How the case ultimately ended is revealed in our detective blog.

Frankfurt Investigators Gather Court-Admissible Evidence to Identify the Offender

In cases of blackmail, the employee in this example could be replaced by any other perpetrator: customers, business partners or competitors frequently act as extortionists. The investigators of Kurtz Corporate Investigations Frankfurt uncover such offenders using court-admissible evidence gathered during professionally documented surveillance operations.