Lead a secret double life as dominatrix and wife and mother?

They can make that possible, say the “open space managers”.

Of course, they also offer less spectacular services.

You can rent a mourning guest for a funeral from them for 89 euros.

From 300 euros onwards, you can use the services of a private chauffeur, including a limousine.

Freiraummanager's business idea is, according to its own statements, to "help people who are restricted by third parties". The agency fulfills assignments that would seem absurd to many. A regular customer has been leading a double life with the help of the agency for 18 years. A carefree double life is offered from 249 euros, according to the homepage. The alibi professionals have made it their business to have the right lie ready for every situation.

Twenty years ago two friends of the agency's managing director, Stefan Eiben, needed an alibi on a Saturday evening for private reasons.

He said he didn't help maintain this alibi that evening.

That night, however, the first thought occurred to him to help strange women and men to be able to control their own life without restriction from other people - this is how he describes his business idea.

At that time, the trained system administrator was the owner of an internet agency.

He put his alibi agency online in one weekend.

The first inquiries came after a short time.

Dominatrix, but a clerk on paper

It is said that there is a suitable offer for everyone. Co-managing director Jan Benjamin Rademacher reports on a woman from southern Germany. She works in the erotic sector, but is not otherwise stigmatized by society. The woman is said to be an employed office clerk and has fake business cards. According to Rademacher, these preventive measures are intended to prevent statements such as "I heard you are a dominatrix and you beat up men". “Some areas in Germany are still arch-Catholic,” he says.

Rademacher reports on other double lives that have been organized, for example for a homosexual officer in the Bundeswehr who is public about his job and social media.

A public heterosexual life was established for him.

Monthly meetings with the wrong wife are organized to take pictures for the public.

Homosexuality is "still treated conservatively in the male domain," says Rademacher.

He also describes the situation of a CEO of a large company.

This woman volunteers in addition to her job, but doesn't want it to appear that a strong business woman is also vulnerable.

She worries that others may think she has helper syndrome.

Absence in the digital world

You help people in public life to make an absence in the digital world credible. This is justified with "digital detoxing". You seem to be withdrawing from the digital world for a short time in order to concentrate on the physical world in the here and now. The alibi professionals pretend that the customer is in a seminar. A wrong schedule and a wrong course certificate are created for this. If that is not enough, a fake instructor is available to "confirm" everything.

There is a wide variety of offers: false documents, fake phone calls, false registration addresses, a fake stay abroad.

There is also the option of acquiring VIP status from a price of around 200 euros.

This gives you access to exclusive clubs.

According to Freiraummanager, such a membership card, if left on the table as if by chance, generates attention and, based on experience, a lasting effect.

This service is increasingly used by women.

A fake lie detector test may seem particularly absurd, it is available from around 600 euros.

75 percent of this offer are used by women.

According to Rademacher, the fake tests save marriages.

Manipulate them so that any lies and secrets can be perpetuated.

Wrong relatives for the funeral service

With the help of Freiraummanager you can also hire fake friends, fake guests and fake relatives for a funeral service, a maid of honor, a bridesmaid. A simple friend is available from 29 euros. Most of the time, the services are used as assistance in everyday situations, says Rademacher. "In these cases we are apparently less complicated than our own family, our own circle of friends and acquaintances."

Freiraummanager calls itself "Lifestyle Agency", has eight employees in day-to-day business and is represented by more than 1000 actors in Austria and Germany.

In 2020 an annual turnover of around 800,000 euros was achieved.

As soon as public life really starts again, sales will increase by 80 percent, the company predicts.

Managing Director Stefan Eiben is currently expanding to Spain.

The article comes from the school project “Youth and Economy”, which the FAZ is organizing together with the Association of German Banks.