Goods and service credit fraud
When trade credit fraud and power credit fraud is two criminological crime designations in which mostly online or by phone, but in person (eg. In shops) quoting foreign persons and or payment data orders are placed, with the aim of the goods or services for themselves or to obtain third parties without paying for it yourself. The term is derived from cheating on the intention or ability of payment (the "creditworthiness", Latin credere, to trust someone, to believe) for the goods or services ordered. In the case of goods / service fraud, on the other hand, payment is made, but the buyer does not receive any goods / services. The criminal offenses of fraud (§263 StGB) and computer fraud (§263a StGB) are relevant. Depending on the modus operandi , other offenses such as B. falsification of legally relevant data, falsification of documents , Data espionage and money laundering tateinheitlich be affected or -mehrheitlich.
Modus operandi
During the commission of the offense, third party personal data is first collected (social media platforms, doorbell signs, other free sources in OSINT ), spied on or bought. These are then used to place online orders with free, anonymous e-mail providers on account or with the payment data obtained. Due to the economic endeavors for (supposedly) good service, many internet retailers deliver the goods before receipt of payment or more detailed verification of personal data. High-quality cell phones are often ordered, which can be quickly resold via anonymous platforms such as eBay classified ads or to dubious cell phone buying and selling businesses (cf. stolen goods ). Since SIM cards can no longer be sold anonymously since July 1, 2017, stolen or lost personal documents are often misused to obtain mobile phones. For this purpose, fraudulent mobile phone contracts are often concluded in order to obtain the desired goods after making a comparatively small down payment.
Affected parties usually receive invoices or reminders only weeks after the order, after several email payment reminders have been sent to the anonymous email account, check their bank accounts or receive notification of compromised PayPal accounts , which makes the police investigation even more difficult become.
Goods / package agent
A special form of commercial credit fraud in connection with organized crime (gang-like, profit-oriented crime) are so-called goods or package agents. These are paid for receiving money on online job platforms for receiving, possibly opening and "checking" and finally forwarding them to specified addresses (mostly in Eastern European countries). After they have "applied" to the supposed employer with their personal data, the orders are placed not only at their delivery address but also at their billing address without their knowledge. Since the target group is particularly aimed at people who already have difficult access to the wider labor market (foreigners, single parents, etc.), this type of inspection is particularly reprehensible. On the one hand, the companies are now demanding to pay for the orders delivered and received, on the other hand, there are often convictions for money laundering, since it is assumed that the parcel agent contributed "negligently" (conditionally deliberate) to the concealment of illegally obtained assets (Section 261 StGB) .