Criminal investigator Oliver Peth warns of a new wave of fraud - from continued wage payments to SEO fraud

While classic crimes such as continued wage payments and insurance fraud are booming, perpetrators are professionalizing digital attacks: SEO fraud, fake leads, and manipulation in online marketing are increasingly affecting companies - often unnoticed.

Press contact: Oliver Peth - Criminal investigator & fraud expert Detegere Detective Agency - Private Investigation Service Email: oliver.peth@kriminalistik.info Phone: 0049 170 24 8 12 78
Website: www.detektei-detegetre.com Location, date: Alzenau / Rhine-Main, January 30, 2026 Fraud is no longer a marginal phenomenon - it is a system. Criminal investigator and fraud expert Oliver Peth has observed a striking development: Traditional areas of fraud such as continued salary payments fraud and insurance fraud are on the rise - at the same time, digital forms of fraud such as SEO fraud, fake traffic, campaign manipulation, affiliate fraud, and fake leads are emerging, which "burn" marketing budgets and distort internal decisions. Peth demands that companies combine investigative and preventive structures - criminological, digital, and legally compliant.

When fraud seems normal: Why 2026 is a turning point "What used to be considered an isolated case is now often a repeatable business model," says Oliver Peth, criminologist and specialist in white-collar crime. "We are seeing perpetrators who work in a hybrid way: they combine classic deception with digital scaling. This is new in terms of dynamics - and dangerous in terms of impact."

It is not only the method that is new, but also the speed: fraud is becoming faster, cheaper, more collaborative - and therefore more frequent. Particularly critical: many offenses remain undetected for a long time because they seem "plausible" in everyday life: sick notes, damage reports, click counts, leads, rankings. Classics that remain: continued pay fraud & insurance fraud

According to Peth's observations, continued pay fraud (e.g., feigned incapacity to work, secondary employment while on sick leave, conspicuous patterns around weekends/vacations) remains a top area of loss for companies: "Most cases are not Hollywood stories. They are routine - and that is precisely why they are overlooked."

Insurance fraud also shows familiar patterns - some with new variations: "Claims look more professional, narratives are rehearsed, digital traces are cleaned up. At the same time, there is more cooperation between those involved." What is old: deception, motive, economic advantage. What is new: professionalization, digital support, international connections, faster repetition.

The new targets: SEO fraud, fake leads, and marketing manipulation According to Peth, one area that many still underestimate is growing particularly rapidly: SEO fraud and performance fraud. This includes: Fake traffic and bot networks that inflate KPIs Fake leads that clog up sales and CRM

Manipulation of campaigns, e.g., through click fraud or affiliate abuse Negative SEO/sabotage that damages rankings and reputation Deception through "clean" reports while budgets seep away "Many companies only realize late in the game that they are not performing worse--they are being deliberately manipulated," says Peth. "This is white-collar crime in marketing guise." How to counteract it: Three levels that belong together Oliver Peth recommends a three-step approach that combines prevention and evidence preservation: 1) Early warning systems instead of gut feeling Clear indicators & thresholds (e.g., lead quality, traffic anomalies, illness patterns)

Regular plausibility checks (technical & data-based) Internal reporting channels for suspicious circumstances 2) Secure evidence in a legally compliant manner Documentation that is usable under labor law and in court Clean chain of evidence (time, place, source, integrity)

Avoidance of typical mistakes (e.g., "investigating yourself" without standards) 3) Combine criminalistics + OSINT + digital forensics OSINT analyses, links, patterns, identities

Digital trace analysis for campaigns/traffic/lead sources Structured perpetrator hypotheses instead of actionism "If you want to fight fraud, you have to think like a perpetrator - but document like a professional," says Peth. "The goal is not suspicion. The goal is proof."

Quote for free use (for editorial offices) "Fraud is no longer just 'classic' or 'digital' - it is both at the same time. Companies therefore do not need individual solutions, but a system of prevention, analysis, and legally admissible evidence preservation." - Oliver Peth, criminologist & fraud expert About Oliver Peth

Oliver Peth is a criminal investigator, profiler, and fraud expert. He supports companies, law firms, and insurance companies in investigating economic fraud - from continued wage payment and insurance fraud to digital forms of fraud such as SEO fraud and performance manipulation. His focus is on discreet, structured, and legally secure evidence gathering.

Editorial note / Interview offer Oliver Peth is available for interviews, background discussions, case insights (anonymized), and specialist lectures on topics including: Continued salary payment fraud in the event of illness (indicators, legally compliant steps) Insurance fraud (patterns, prevention, investigation)

SEO fraud / performance fraud (detection, evidence, countermeasures) Contact: oliver.peth@kriminalistik.info / 0049 170 24 8 12 78 / www.detektei.detegere.com

Detektei Detegere
Emmy-Noether-Str. 5
63755 Alzenau
Germany

Brief profile (Oliver Peth) Oliver Peth is a criminal investigator, profiler, and fraud expert. He supports companies, law firms, and insurance companies in investigating white-collar crime--from continued wage payment and insurance fraud to digital forms of fraud such as SEO fraud, fake leads, and performance manipulation. His focus is on discreet, structured, and legally sound evidence gathering - combining criminal investigation methodology, OSINT, and digital analysis. Company profile (Detegere Detective Agency) Detegere Detective Agency - Private Investigation Service is a detective agency specializing in white-collar crime based in the Rhine-Main area. The team supports companies, insurance companies, and lawyers in professional evidence gathering, risk assessment, and prevention - both nationally and internationally. Detegere Detective Agency combines classic investigative work with OSINT, digital forensics, and tried-and-tested procedures to efficiently investigate suspicious situations and document results in a legally compliant manner - always with the utmost discretion.

This release was published on openPR.