The fraudster philosopher: have you seen this man?
Welcome to my new blog!
Yes, Inside Out is now back on air and this series we thought we'd experiment with an accompanying blog.
So with that in mind do join in the fun - let me know what you think.
First up, we've got the case of a very unusual fraudster.
The con's simple enough: advertise holiday flats online that don't really exist, take a deposit and then run off with the money into the 'e'-abyss, never to be 'virtually' seen again.
But the man himself, one Erich Kofmel, is a curious fellow because when he's not pocketing other people's hard earned cash, he's an outspoken academic and has even set up his own research centre (where did he get the cash for that I wonder?).
I won't get dragged too far into the mire of his fairly radical thoughts but safe to say he'd regard me, the BBC and this blog as the product of a hugely biased machine, intent on upholding the twin evils of democracy and capitalism.
In fact Erich himself is well established as a blogger and being new to this game, I couldn't help noticing he does his best to 'include' (read: insult) as many people as possible:
The British "stiff upper lip" is an imperial upper-class myth that always hid the fact that Britain is a nation of binge-drinking chavs...
(that's you, dear reader)
...and the venomous media serving them
(ha ha that's me - isn't he thoughtful?)
In its majority, it is a vile people full of spite and bile that enjoys wallowing in the gutter.
Delightful! And I'm sure people enjoy wallowing in the gutter even more knowing the deposit they've paid for one of Erich's non-existent flats is actually funding his jet-set academic lifestyle at various conferences throughout the world.
Now I should say that Mr Kofmel denies these allegations and claims he's had his identity stolen and someone is committing fraud in his name.
Only that doesn't quite wash when you look at the CCTV pictures identifying Erich taking the money in question out of one of his bank accounts.
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So strong is the evidence that Mr Kofmel is flagged as a wanted man on the British police computer which might explain why he's no longer residing in the UK but instead hiding away in Switzerland.
We tried to track him down and put the allegations and questions to him in person. Believe me we tried - I practically camped outside his flat for three days - but to no avail.
However, Erich if you're reading this, I'd still love the chance to meet face-to-face and I promise if you come to Britain and wallow in the gutter with me long enough to answer a question or two, I'll happily pay your plane fare. Deal?
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~47~RS~)
Hi, I'm Joe Crowley - presenter of the BBC South's current affairs programme, Inside Out - and this is my blog. I'll do my best to bring you all the discussion points, the behind-the-scenes goings on and, of course, my thoughts on the stories we cover. So, have a read and let me know what you think. Or if you think there's a story we've missed, feel free to drop me an e-mail: 
© 2012
Comments
Erich Kofmel, who bragged on his blog that "there is no case against me" [11th August 2009] had told the Sussex police that he could not afford to travel to answer bail (which is in any event a criminal offence).
He had gone on to blog ... "Police may then release the foreigner, who is neither a UK citizen nor resident in the UK, on police bail and expect him to return after so many months (of investigations that start only after the arrest!) to the UK at his own expense. "
So Mr. Kofmel, looks like Joe Crowley has kindly offered to fly you to the UK at the BBC's expense.
So Mr. Kofmel - "no evidence", "no case" a now - no "expense" - put up, or shut up.
Visit the victims blog at http://kofmel.blogspot.com/?ref=BB
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