211 victims of fraud took part in the pilot. With their permission, the police shared the data of fraudsters with the National Association of Bailiffs (LAVG) and the Service Organization for Direct Liability (SODA). More than a quarter got their money back in full and in another quarter of the cases victims received partial compensation.
The pilot was created because more and more people are being scammed online. “In addition, the police were often accused of doing too little for victims of online scams,” said the police. “That’s how the idea arose to forward such cases to two private organizations, so that they could start procedures to ensure that at least as many victims as possible get their money back.”
The police also report that a number of perpetrators say they are happy that by paying the victim money, they do not initially have to deal with criminal law. “There is also a chance that perpetrators can still be prosecuted.”
72 percent of victims report that the pilot “has lived up to expectations” and 90 percent plan to use LAVG or SODA again in the event of a new case of fraud. The police are still investigating how the insights from this trial can be followed up.