A detective tells – “When it comes to cheating, women are much more subtle”

Harald Sexl from Eisenstadt is a trained bookseller. When his father’s paperwork became unavailable in 2004, he lost his job and became a forensic expert and professional detective.

collect evidence
Since then, he has shadowed spouses and life partners in cases of suspected infidelity or alimony fraud and is collecting evidence for divorce and child custody disputes. “My clients are half woman and half man who want to know if their partner is cheating.”

Observe unobtrusively
In his experience, women tend to be more subtle when it comes to cheating. “It’s harder to track them down,” Sexl says, immediately revealing the main motto when observing: “The more inconspicuous, the better.” Sexl therefore rarely uses wigs or sticky beards. But sometimes he has to slip into other roles.

For example, he was once asked to find out for a customer whether a friend of the house was also his wife’s family friend: “I couldn’t see anything from the car with my binoculars. So I disguised myself as a beggar and sat in front of the front door to take a closer look at what was happening. For such occasions I have a stash of clothes in the trunk.”

It’s not just about marriage fraud
More and more companies are also having their staff checked if there is a suspicion of undeclared work or expense fraud, says the detective: “A works council member who had been employed for 35 years was on sick leave because of his shoulder surgery. At the same time, I caught him lugging bags of cement from a hardware store.”

Although Sexl hardly ever has a weekend off and sleeps next to his laptop, he likes his varied job: “You become highly sensitive, ask a lot of questions and don’t let yourself be blinded by the beautiful appearance.”