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07 June 2011

Erich Kofmel / SCIS / Anti-Democracy / Political Theology etc F.A.Q part II - Kofmel in the press


There are dozens of independent press articles covering the different Kofmel scams and frauds. As part of the FAQ )post below) - for your ease of reference - we have reproduced some of the links here to independant press articles on Mr. Kofmel / SCIS / Political Theology. They are in chronological order, and supplement the FAQ posted below. Click on the links (the publication name).





06 June 2011

Erich Kofmel / SCIS / Anti-Democracy / Political Theology etc F.A.Q

There has been some renewed activity in Mr. Kofmel's frauds, and subsequent interest. For your information, and to avoid repetition, I have posted a quick F.A.Q. If there are are any further queries, I would be delighted to answer any individual questions from victims, law enforcement agencies or other legitimate interested parties at victimsoferich@gmail.com 

Who is Erich Kofmel?

Erich Kofmel is a Swiss National born on 21st October 1974. He is an internationally wanted criminal who poses as an academic. He has no higher degree having been expelled from the University of Sussex and the University of Sciences Po, for fraud [see press section for independant press verification i.e. Times Higher Education and University statements etc]. He refers to himself as "Professor" but holds no genuine academic post or link with any respected institution. 

But what is SCIS?

SCIS is Mr. Kofmel. There is no Board - of directors and no advisory board, there are no academics, and no affiliation with any University. Mr. Kofmel's appointment as a "professor" is by himself, nobody else.


What did he do?

Erich Kofmel has been involved in a number of different frauds and bankruptcies - they are outlined in more detailed and supported by references in the links below - particularly in our information page.

He is most notorious for his property frauds where he advertised holiday properties that did not exist and took full prepayment for them from hundred of victims amounting to hundreds of thousands of Euros - possibly much more. He appeared to specifically target/defraud the elderly, the disabled and students.

He would cancel the non-existent holiday lets, often the day before travel, and then cease all contact. This left people not only having been defrauded (having paid for their holiday in full), but also with shattered travel plans with no accommodation at short notice. He used miss-spellings of his own name to commit the crimes.

How do you know Erich Kofmel, and not somebody impersonating him, committed the frauds?

The property frauds had previously been investigated by numerous police forces around the world, including (due to the sheer scale of the operation) an investigation by INTERPOL. A group of victims and computer experts used internet technology to trace the crimes to Erich Kofmel and supplied this data to police.

Erich Kofmel then claimed that he had been the victim of identity theft, having previously reported his passport stolen in a fake mugging, and that somebody had used these identity documents to impersonate him and set up bank accounts in his name, to commit the frauds.

The UK police then used CCTV from the bank accounts (see picture) used in the frauds, to demonstrate that it was Erich Kofmel, and not an impersonator, drawing thousands of pounds out of money stolen from hundreds of unsuspecting victims. They then set up a sting operation to arrest Erich Kofmel at the London School of Economics - at this time Mr. Kofmel had on his person the passport he had used to set up the fraudulent accounts and the bank cards used to draw money from them, proving beyond any doubt his involvement in the frauds.


But Erich Kofmel claims the police are looking for "one Eric Kofmehl, not Erich Kofmel"


When it was suggested to the Munich prosecutor that they should search for "Eric Kofmehl" and not "Erich Kofmel" a spokeperson said (June 29th 2009) "we presume that the persons are identical". Mr. Kofmel asked people to use BACS / CHAPS bank transfers to the miss-spelled names, which were "close enough" (given the correct sort codes and account numbers) to allow the bank transfers to go ahead. The person who the police and prosecutors wish to re-arrest is the person pictured here at the time of his arrest by Sussex and the Metropolitan police.


So "case closed" surely - what happened next?

Erich Kofmel was arrested and interviewed by Sussex Police. He answered "no comment" on questions relating to the frauds. He was released on police bail to return to be charged with multiple counts of fraud on 9th September 2008. He committed the criminal offence of failure to answer bail, and he has been on the run from police since.

Why is Mr. Kofmel still on the run more than 2 years later?

It is very difficult and expensive to extradite criminals to different jurisdictions. However Mr. Kofmel remains wanted in a number of jurisdictions and we are confident that Mr. Kofmel will one day face the legal justice systems.

Mr. Kofmel claims this is all fabricated by a "cyberstalker" - how do you know that is not the case?

You are encouraged to watch the BBC television documentary (click on links below) and read the various independent press articles about Mr. Kofmel, and make your own mind up. 

Mr. Kofmel is well aware of his involvement in the frauds, and the compelling evidence against him.
It is he who has chosen not to answer his police bail and answer the allegations, which are based on overwhelming evidence, against him. The BBC have offered to pay for Mr. Kofmel to travel to the UK to answer the allegations, and he had access to free legal aid. If Mr. Kofmel wishes to defend the allegations against him, the place to do that - for free - is the courts.


Mr. Kofmel claims this is all fabricated to discredit his "academic" work / thoughts?

The victims are not qualified, or interested, to comment on any of Mr. Kofmel's beliefs. 


So where can I get more information about this? 

1) Read a selection of the press articles on the section on the left of the screen in the blog or information page.
2) Read the Erich Kofmel Fraud information page BY CLICKING HERE for information prior to October 2009
3) Read the Erich Kofmel Fraud blog for information post October 2009 - see posts below in reverse chronological order.
4) Watch the BBC documentary about the Kofmel frauds BY CLICKING HERE [Reproduced with kind permission for Wordwide use by the BBC]

22 May 2011

Further fraudulent SCIS conferences and SCIS websites suspended by ISP





Further to prior warnings about misleading Calls for Papers from Mr. Kofmel / SCIS, and several further fraudulent call for papers / conferences organized by Mr. Kofmel subsequent to this, there is a further fraudulent CFP regarding a conference that was due to take place in the coming week.

Mr. Kofmel is currently still widely advertising a conference entitled " Anti-Democracy Agenda Symposium 2011". Further Mr. Kofmel had claimed an association with "University of Bern" and that the conference had been confirmed as happening at "Orangery of the Botanical Garden of the University of Bern, Switzerland" on "26-27th May 2011". Mr. Kofmel continues to fraudulently state that he is a "professor" - Mr. Kofmel holds no doctorate from the University of Sussex or Sciences Po (despite misleading claims to the contrary), though he has been expelled from both institutions - he has no formal ties with any known University or respected academic institution.

The directors of the University of Bern have confirmed there is no relationship with SCIS or Mr. Kofmel, and that "we don’t allow to proceed this event" - see the email in the picture. Those who have made travel arrangements are urged to contact the University of Bern directly.

As previously noted, academics are warned to use extreme caution in any dealings with Mr. Kofmel, who remains wanted for fraud in a number of jurisdictions. Any listowners who have allowed / published these supposed CFP are urged to publish immediate retractions.

In other developments, some of Mr. Kofmel's websites have been suspended by his ISP and are showing the warning - "This Account Has Been Suspended".

17 January 2011

Amazon finally pull plug on Fradulent book add ...


Mr. Kofmel has been fraudulently advertising his supposed book "Anti-Liberalism and Political Thought" (ALPT) as having been published by Imprint Academic  on 1 August 2009. This fraudulent illusion was in part back up by an historical advert for the then forthcoming book by Amazon, which existed before we brought the news (in April 2009) that Imprint Academic had scrapped plans to publish the book. Despite a number if complaints by Imprint Academic directly to Amazon to remove the offending and incorrect advert for the shelved book, it took them well over a year to remove the page. Finally Amazon have pulled the plug on Kofmel's book fraud.
So Mr. Kofmel continues today (at the time of writing) to advertise that ALPT was published by Imprint Academic on 1st August 2009. But as Mr. Kofmel knows, it was NOT published by Imprint Academic (or anybody else) on 1 August 2009, and now when visitors on his link click on the book there will be taken to the books new "home page".

19 May 2010

Fradulent Call for Papers Alert: "Anti-Democracy Agenda Symposium 2010"

Mr. Kofmel had announced a supposed conference entitled "Anti-Democracy Agenda Symposium 2010". Further he had claimed an association with "Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and the University of Zurich" and that the conference had been confirmed as happening at "Gottfried-Semper Villa Garbald, part of the Collegium Helveticum" on "8-10 November 2010"

Prof. Dr. Gerd Folkers, director of Collegium Helveticum has stated 
"there is definitely no relationship. The Collegium Helveticum runs a scientific programme at the Villa Garbald, entitled "Projekt Denklabor Garbald". Erich Kofmehl is neither participant, nor has he applied for a project. The "Villa Garbald" is an independent location for seminars and meetings ownend by a foundation. It is open for booking to any organisation or institution and independent of our activities.
We regret if this facts are mixed up by mistake or by intention"
However Collegium Helveticum have subsequently confirmed (see full email for contact details):
"Mr. Kofmel has not contacted Villa Garbald for any reservation; he never had any contact with us nor are we willing to accept a reservation from him in a presumed future."
Academics are warned to use extreme caution in any dealing with Mr. Kofmel, who remains wanted for fraud in a number of jurisdicitions. It appears that this conference never was, and never will be, and is a further extension of these frauds. 

15 May 2010

So exactly who is Erich Kofmel?




Mr. Kofmel is up to his dirty tricks again, and as a consequence, we have had lots more traffic of late. For those of you that wish to have an overview as to who Erich Kofmel is, and some of the frauds he has committed, and continues to commit, we recommend you:
1) Read a selection of the press articles on the section on the left of the screen in the KOFMEL IN THE PRESS section (and on the links below)
2) Read the Erich Kofmel Fraud information page BY CLICKING HERE for information prior to October 2009
3) Read the Erich Kofmel Fraud blog for information post October 2009 BY CLICKING HERE.
4) Watch the BBC documentary about the Kofmel frauds BY CLICKING HERE


The flash video clip (courtesy of Sussex Police / BBC Television) shows Erich Kofmel withdrawing several thousand pounds out from a Barclays bank account used in the frauds when he was supposed to be at a conference. Mr. Kofmel had previously claimed he had been the victim of identity theft following a faked mugging where his passport had been stolen, and it was this person committing the frauds. However the many bank accounts were set up with Mr. Kofmel's replacement passport, and CCTV evidence showed beyond any doubt it was Mr. Kofmel behind all the frauds.... see links above for more information.

22 April 2010

Scathing book review for ADT

Readers of the blog will know that publisher Imprint Academic were widely criticized for the decision to publish Anti-Democratic Thought in 2008 - as it's research was funded entirely by profits from the non-existent-holiday-let frauds (as was SCIS); moreover it was published whilst Mr. Kofmel was, and is, on the run from the police in numerous countries. Though Imprint Academic announced that they scrapped the second book (Anti-Liberalism & Political Theology) in April 2009, Mr. Kofmel continues to create the deliberately false illusion that this was published by Imprint in August 2009 - it was not, and it will not be in the future.
Well Kofmel's book has received it first formal review from Professor Paul Gottfried in Quarterly Review (Paul Gottfried is Raffensperger Professor of Humanities at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and a Guggenheim recipient.). To place the review in the context of all that has happened, Paul Gottfried has confirmed that prior writing the review that he"had no idea who this fellow [Erich Kofmel] was. My review should indicate that I was hardly impressed by what I read." and that "The odd thing about the book I was asked to review is that it didn't have substance of any kind.". Similarly the Editor of Quarterly review Derek Turner was also unaware of Mr. Kofmel's and SCIS history stating "I wish I had known about all this prior to publishing the review."
The review opens 
"As someone who has taught and written about the problems of modern democracy for almost 40 years, I opened this anthol- ogy edited by Erich Kofmel, of the Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society, with keen anticipation. What I found in this text generally disappointed my expectations." 
"The anthology also includes a highly informative essay by an Israeli scholar, Moshe Hellinger ... Unfortunately most of the other material in Kofmel’s anthology couldn’t entice a dog to get up and move behind the stove, to use an awkward translation of a colourful German phrase. The editor’s citation of fashionable neoconservative journalists Francis Fukuyama and Jean-Francois Revel as timely critics of Western democracy and his habit of flogging a communist dead horse introduce nothing new to the discussion of contemporary democracy. What he puts into his conclusion is old hat. Indeed a random one-week’s visit to the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal should provide all of the supposed insights that are available in Kofmel’s concluding chapter.
"Kofmel prefers a mostly nondescript survey of anti-democratic types "

The editor has kindly given us permission to re-distribute the PDF of the article, if you would like to receive a copy send an email to victimsoferich@gmail.com with "book review" in the title.

27 February 2010

Erich Kofmel's bogus "professorship"

Erich Kofmel, the fugitive criminal, has declared himself a professor. In his "press release" Kofmel states "Professor Kofmel (35) is the world's leading expert on anti-democratic thought and practice. He studied for a doctoral degree in social and political thought at the University of Sussex and Sciences Po Paris". In fact Mr. Kofmel left his first Swiss university without a degree, and was expelled from Sciences Po in 2008 and expelled from the University of Sussex in 2009 (see press section on left for press reports). Kofmel never completed his doctoral studies at either institution. 


Following his expulsion from Sussex in SUmmer 2009, Kofmel registered as a student at ETH in Zurich. ETH were unaware of Mr. Kofmel's history and are understood to be in the process of taking discipliniary action.


Mr. Kofmel remains wanted for hundreds of internet frauds around Europe. Academics in world of political theory should fully familiarise themselves with Mr. Kofmel's history (see presss section) before engaging with the latest (self declared) "Professor" in political theory.
Mr. Kofmel remains wanted around Europe for fraud. To read Mr. Kofmel's full "press release" click on the image on the right. 

29 December 2009

Kofmel's emails on bomb making


It has emerged that Erich Kofmel sent electronic emails containing explicit material about "bomb making".


Previously, in a paper presented to the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) in 2007, Kofmel had admitted that he had visited Islamic extremist websites "For a research project I engaged in from 2004-2007, I gathered and analysed statements made by representatives of Islamist terrorist movements on the Internet"


In the emails, which have already been provided (unredacted) to the police, Kofmel incites others to visit websites that contain explicit material about the production of explosives. The emails have been redacted for this website to hide (for obvious reasons) the actual name and link of the websites linked to, and the recipient of the emails.


Mr. Kofmel remains wanted around Europe for his role in dozens of frauds. Exactly how Mr. Kofmel used the money obtained by the frauds remains a mystery. According to police sources, the money was mostly drawn out from the fraudulent bank accounts in cash, several thousand pounds at a time.

20 December 2009

Kofmel websites branded internet secuirty threat by McAfee

Several of Erich Kofmel's website have branded a security risk by leading internet guadian McAfee. The warning reads "use the site with extreme caution". Mr. Kofmel remains officially "wanted" in multiple jurisdicitons for dozens of internet frauds. The warnings from McAfee appear in not only in Google search results (in Internet Explorer and Firefox), but also in Mr. Kofmel's paid adverts. The reviews of Mr. Kofmel's site do receive some "good" user ratings.... from a user named "Erich Kofmel".
All of Mr. Kofmel's sites link to sites which continue to solicit money for the so-called "Sussex Society for the Individual and Society" which was recently removed the Companies Register following an investigation into financial irregularities. 

16 December 2009

Kofmel's false academic claims



Mr. Kofmel recently appeared in an aknowledgement in a paper by Olivier Rubin, published in the European Journal of Developmental Research. Kofmel had organised the "panel discussion" last Novemeber 2008 whilst he was (and remains to this day) on the run from the police.
Of course Mr. Kofmel did not, and could not, attend this panel. He knew that the police knew he was due to attend, and he had previously been arrested at the London School of Economics at a planned lecture. The president of the Develpment Studies Association, who organised the conference, had already agreed to contact the police should Mr. Kofmel have atteneded.
Subsequently Mr. Kofmel has made bold claims that he is a "peer reviewer" for the European Journal of Development Research.
We found it quite difficult to believe that a fugitive criminal was undertaking such a role, and as expected, he is not. Professor Rajneesh Narula (Editor-in-Chief) has made it quite clear that such claims are "certainly untrue" (see email).

08 November 2009

Article in The Badger (University of Sussex)

Just a quick note to say there is a article in yesterday's online edition of "The Badger" from the University of Sussex. You can the full article HERE.

12 October 2009

BBC1 Kofmel Documentary - Now available to all!

The BBC Kofmel documentary IS NOW available 

UK Viewers (this link will only work for UK viewers October 12th - 19th. To view after this date, click the link below for the Kofmel segment)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00nbt42/Inside_Out_South_12_10_2009/

International viewers (or if you miss it on iPlayer) you can view the Kofmel segment of the programme by VIEW KOFMEL SEGMENT OF VIDEO BY CLICKING HERE:


We are grateful to the BBC whoe gave permission long before the programme was aired to allow it to be published to viewers outside the UK  - including many dozens of international victims. The BBC programme's release was covered by the media including the the Evening Standard, Times Higher Education, The Argus, BBC News Blog, and The Badger - see press section or click on the links.

09 October 2009

Kofmel: Won't answer bail because of cost; BBC: Offer to fly him to UK

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).
When asked why Kofmel had not answered bail, Sussex Police responded "No reasonable explanation given apart from not being able to afford to travel. He can be prosecuted seperately for not answering bail" [our emphasis added]

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. " [our emphasis added]

In another startling development, in a brand new BBC blog, the BBC have offered to fly Kofmel to the UK.

BBC presenter Joe Crowley says "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?"
Read BBC presenter Joe Crowley's full blog post BY CLICKING HERE 

So Mr.  Kofmel - "no evidence", "no case" a now - no "expense" - put up, or shut up.

Police release sensational CCTV evidence & new BBC Blog opens with Kofmel

In a sensational new development, Sussex Police have released to the media CCTV evidence of their suspect withdrawing £2000 in cash from one of the Barcalys Bank accounts used in the frauds.



Police had been tipped off that Erich Kofmel was due to come to the UK to give a lecture on 1 April 2008 entitled "On Confessional Political Theologies and Comparative Political Theology" at the Society for the Study of Theology (SST), St John's College, Durham University, England. He was filmed on the same day at Barclay Bank in Durham
Following this police were able to obtain CCTV evidence which clearly shows Erich Kofmel withdrawing £2000 in cash from the account used in the frauds. Police were then tipped off for another planned UK visit on 7 May 2008 when Kofmel was due to give the lecture "Comparative Political Theology" at the Seminar of the Forum on Religion of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), England. At the time of this arrest Kofmel was carrying on his person the same edition of the Swiss Passport that he had used to set up all of the UK bank accounts used in the frauds, as well as Lloyds bank account card used to receive money from the frauds.



The sensational new evidence will form part of the BBC's documentary on Kofmel due to be aired on 12th October. BBC presenter Joe Crowley will be posting the CCTV video footage on his brand new BBC Inside Out blog. In a statement he said:
"We're launching an Inside Out blog on Monday and given Erich is such a prolific blogger, he seemed the appropriate subject of the first blog.
 
It'll be on www.bbc.co.uk/joecrowley and the video of the CCTV images will be on that page." 
The new blog will be live on Monday to co-incide with the documentary.
Kofmel had repeatedly claimed his London School of Ecnomics arrest was "unlawful" and that the police had "no evidence". He recently stated:
"In 2008, I was arrested by UK police on a day-long visit to the UK to give a lecture at the London School of Economics. I was interviewed by police, made a statement, and was released after a few hours. I hold that this arrest was unlawful and due simply to the fact that I did not live in the UK at the time. Unfortunately, UK police underanti-terror legislation have the power to arrest anyone without giving justification. I was asked to return to the UK at my own expense four months later. This shows to me that at the time of the arrest there was nothing even remotely approaching a legal case they could have charged me with. That’s unlawful arrest." [Erich Kofmel, 11th August 2009]


"If you are a foreigner it may happen to you that you get arrested on an occasional visit to the UK on the basis of some wild accusations, totally unproven, simply so police can question you, search you, fingerprint you, and take your DNA sample for entry into a plethora of databases – all of which they cannot do without an arrest, for which, however, they need no justification whatsoever. There has to be no intention of charging you with a serious offence or crime and no evidence against you. 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. If he decides not to follow up on such highly questionable arrest, he may become wanted in the UK." [Erich Kofmel, 19th March 2009]

07 October 2009

BBC Inside Out and the philosopher's fraud

 

Despite the title, this is not the latest installation of Harry Potter.... but a BBC press release! The original  source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/10_october/07/insideout.shtml 


Inside Out and the philosopher's fraud

Date: 07.10.2009

Category: South TV

BBC South's Inside Out returns to BBC One this week, October 12, with the tale of Erich Kofmel, the former Sussex-based academic now on the run from the police.

Presenter Joe Crowley goes on the trail of the philosopher whose victims claim he used his academic theories to defraud them of hundreds of pounds letting out non-existent holiday homes. 

Erich Kofmel, a Swiss academic whose philosophy exhorts the use of others for his own ends, is known in academic circles for setting up his own educational establishment. 

The Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society was based in rented offices at the University Of Sussex campus in Brighton. And while the centre had nothing to do with the University, Joe discovers that Kofmel did: he was studying for a Phd there.

But it is Kofmel's extra-curricular activities which have lead to the philosopher being wanted on suspicion of fraud by Sussex Police. In fact, as Joe discovers, some of the Sussex PhD student's crimes were traced to his university computer. 

Kofmel's scam was simple; he advertised holiday apartments around the world and took payments upfront. Only as Sam Enthoven and Plamen Gueorguiev found out the apartments didn't really exist. 

Sam, a children's author who booked an apartment for a trip to New York tells the programme: "It's the personal element of it, the fact we were communicating with him directly, on first name terms with the guy... There is a bare faced element to it, and he probably feels very pleased with himself for being that bare faced. But it's wrong, it's not right. It's important that people trust each other and this guy's playing on that."

While former colleague, Alex Higgins, gives an insight into Kofmel's motivation: "I think that Erich chose a path that was very wrong that has hurt a lot of people. As far as I understand it he has used his philosophy for ill. That philosophy is there are creators in this world and there are second-handers. And he believes he is a creator and as a result can use people instrumentally."

And as Joe discovers, it wasn't just those people seeking holiday lets, who fell victim to the philosopher's fraud. 

The first Piers Calascione heard of Kofmel was when he started receiving complaints from the fraudster's customers – he had stolen his address: 

"He's stolen my identity, my address. He's used my address to present a legitimate front to people buying holiday accommodation online. It's despicable. The thing that gets me is that he's a high profile academic. He's obviously a very intelligent guy. He's using his intelligence in a very corrupt way and if he thinks this is victimless crime it certainly isn't."

Kofmel was arrested on suspicion of fraud when he turned up to give a lecture at the London School of Economics a year ago but when he was released on bail he simply vanished.

Joe and the Inside Out team pick up the trail and so the search for the philosopher fraudster begins. Find out if they track down Erich Kofmel in this week's BBC South's Inside Out, BBC One, Monday 12 October at 7.30pm.

Also in this first edition of the new series we send Ben Southall, the successful candidate for the Best Job in the World – selling Australia – across the Solent to find out if the Isle of Wight can offer even more job satisfaction than a paradise home on the Great Barrier Reef.

Plus we follow a former SAS soldier using his experience of post traumatic stress disorder to set up a charity helping other veterans deal with the lasting effects of their active duty. 

BBC South's Inside Out, Mondays, BBC One, 7.30pm, or watch again at bbc.co.uk/iplayer.

HB
End quote..... and by the way... for those of you that wish to see the documentary, but are unable to access the BBC iPlayer (because you are outside the UK)... you may view the documentary here at our blog.