Shopping with a few clicks – the internet makes it so easy. However, this convenient form of shopping is also attractive to fraudsters in times of Corona and closed shops. Just like for an employee who ran a fake shop under the domains Waschmaschino.de, Waschmaschino.net and Waschmaschino.com. However, the man was caught and has now been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on probation and a fine of 5,400 euros by a lay judge at the Munich district court.
The 29-year-old ran the fake shop together with an as yet unknown accomplice. While the accused took on the role of administrator and designer, which was easy for him as a trained media designer, his unknown accomplice took care of communicating with customers. Everything looked extremely professional and gave the impression of a reputable online shop. In fact, the two men were up to no good. All they cared about was ripping off customers by getting them to order washers or dryers — in exchange for upfront payments. At least 60 people did this.
With the verdict, the accused should “be hit in addition to the property”
However, the ordered goods were never shipped. With the fake shop, the duo stole almost 20,000 euros. In addition to trading in non-existent washing machines and dryers, the 29-year-old also offered his services as a media designer on the dark web and advertised his ability to forge documents. According to his “price list”, there was a fake scan of an ID card for 35 euros. Between 2015 and 2018, the 29-year-old forged a total of 52 such ID scans. His customers used this to open bank accounts or user accounts with fake personal details.
The employee was caught when investigators found a USB stick on him during a search. It contained the data on the operation of the fake shop and also some fake ID scans. In view of this overwhelming evidence, the 29-year-old admitted the crimes in court and was remorseful. From now on he wanted to lead a “normal life”, he asserted and assured that what he had done “would definitely not do it again”. As the reason for his change of heart, he named his family and his girlfriend, who “talked into” him. He also stopped doing it for his “child’s sake”.
The presiding judge of the jury credited the employee with the fact that he had already made a comprehensive confession during the preliminary proceedings and had shown himself to be very cooperative. In its favour, the court also evaluated the fact that the crimes are now a long time ago and that the accused had little inhibitions about committing the crime “because of the anonymity prevailing on the Internet”. The considerable damage that arose and the high level of criminal energy had an impact on him: the division of labor, the concealment of the perpetrators and the “relatively complex form of inspection”.
In addition to the suspended prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of 180 daily rates of 30 euros each because the “defendant committed his actions with the intention of enriching himself”. That’s why he should “be hit in addition to the assets”. The judge in charge stressed that the 29-year-old was not overwhelmed by the amount of the money requirement, since he still had a handsome income. The judgment (Az. 813 Ls 740 Js 2242/20) is final.