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Europe

The nail bomb was blackmail: threats like DHL extortion plot in Potsdam more common than you think

2017-12-05

[DW] The commotion surrounding a suspicious package at a Potsdam Christmas market is how Germans found out about an extortion case at shipping giant DHL. Usually, companies keep such threats secret ‐ for good reason.

A great deal about the suspicious package planted in Potsdam last week was unusual, but not the fact that it was part of an extortion attempt against a large company. Between 7,500 and 8,000 blackmail cases are reported in Germany every year, says Frank Roselieb of the Institute for Crisis Research at the German University of Kiel. Based on its analysis of crime statistics, the institute concludes that there are on average 150 blackmail threats each week.

Goodness. How anti-social.

But the public only ever finds out about a very few cases, such as this week's DHL incident or the recent supermarket extortion case in which a man threatened to contaminate baby food in stores if the company refused to give into his demand for millions of euros. Most of the threats are kept under wraps. According to Roselieb, no one is interested in "shouting out such threats from the rooftops."

Recalls, not revelations
Delivery service DHL is currently the target of multiple threats
Companies face the dilemma of needing to protect their reputation while at the same time protecting their customers. For this reason, instead of revealing blackmail threats to the public, companies will often issue product recalls for supposed "precautionary consumer protection." Businesses are understandably reluctant to talk about poisoning and extortion.

The risk consulting firm Result Group knows why most cases are concealed. "The worst thing that can happen to a company is that customers turn their backs on it," says Result Group's Christoph Eichel. The consultants recommend that companies prepare themselves "for all eventualities" so that employees are aware of the company's procedures when they are blackmailed.

Last week's threat temporarily shut down a Christmas market in Potsdam

Blackmailers normally don't go public with their demands because they want to avoid the risk of being exposed. That is one reason why Roselieb believes that the DHL blackmailer, for instance, is an amateur. A parcel bomb offers up many clues to Sherlocks, everything from the type of glue to the type of explosive used.

Posted by:Fred

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