Your Alibi, Just a Click Away
October 20, 2003
The busiest it's gotten, says Stefan Eiben, was when one of a client planned a surprise wedding and needed two months worth of excuses to stave off his wife-to-be.
His company, Alibi-Strohmann.de, had to evade the questions of an increasingly investigative fiancée and think up some real whoppers in order to keep their man in the clear.
"That was a stressful time for us," Eiben told Deutsche Welle.
The alibis held just long enough and Eiben has been able to put together a humming little business. His is one of several German-language web sites offering covers for people wanting to dodge a meeting, a relative or a spouse.
The permanent-alibi
For prices ranging from €20 to €1,200, Eiben offers a wide-range of services that ensures his clients will never be tracked down. His company sends out fake invitations to clients. If a spouse or someone wants to reach them, one of his employees answers the phone number left by the client and promises to pass the message on to the client.
Alibi-Strohmann.de also offers to go shopping or book vacations for their clients, to ensure anonymity.
The most expensive Alibi, the Permanent-Alibi, staves off inquiries for a full year. Clients become employees of an imaginary company, receiving a package complete with business cards. When the unwanted person wants to reach them, a "secretary" informs them that the client is unreachable.
His company also works with real-life companies, who can make an alibi even tighter.
"Only the company owner is in on it," says Eiben. "The secretary knows nothing about it. To her, our client is just a normal business partner."
For those interested in cheating on their current partners, alibi services ensure that hotel bills don't land in the mailbox, and provide iron-clad alibis for cheating hearts.
One might think the providers of such services suffer just a bit over the fact that they are essentially bold-faced liars helping out in what might be a tragic deception. But Jens Schlingensief, who runs Perfektes-Alibi.de, is not bothered by such thoughts.
"Lies, necessary lies, you can discuss that for a long time," Schlingensief said. "That is a moral aspect. But I don't have any such thoughts."