Eric Hodnett from Lynchburg, Virginia is an online scammer. He offers to sell items online, coerces people into paying via unprotected payment methods, and sends fake/counterfeit items to the victims.
I was looking to buy a used Apple Watch Ultra. On eBay, they were selling for between $500-$650. I looked on Facebook marketplace and saw a listing for a used Apple Watch Ultra recently marked down from $475 to $425, so I contacted the seller. The listing photos showed the watch on the authentic Apple Watch box.
The seller was Eric Hodnett (He made a new "alternate" profile here), from Lynchburg Virginia. I offered to pay for the watch via Paypal, which offers buyer protection in the case that the seller ships a fake item. He said that he "stopped using" Paypal, and suggested using Zelle. Knowing that Zelle does not have buyer protection, I refused and suggested finding another option that would protect me as a buyer. We determined that Venmo would offer buyer protection, so I offered to pay via Venmo. Eric was unable to accept payments on his own Venmo account (he said something about switching the account from his old phone number to his new phone number), so he said he'd request the money from his dad, Kurt Hodnett's, account. I paid the agreed-upon price via Venmo, with buyer protection, to his dad's account.
However, the next day Eric had second thoughts and canceled/refunded the payment. Venmo was going to hold the money in escrow until I received the item I purchased, in case of a dispute. He said he could not wait for the escrow because he desperately needed money to pay for his "son's summer camp". We discussed alternate payment methods, tried CashApp (which failed), and ultimately agreed that I'd pay HALF now via Zelle, then once I receive the watch, I'd pay the other half. I paid $215 via Zelle, and shortly afterward, he provided a shipping receipt with tracking number.
Once the item had shipped, Eric began hounding me for more money. He told me how he needed to pay for his son's camp and how the price was higher than he thought. He fleeced an additional $50 out of me, and then continued to hound me for another $100 - trying to get all of his money before the watch arrived. Ultimately I refused further payments until I got the watch.
Two days later, the package arrived and contained a fake, counterfeit Apple Watch Ultra. Not even a good fake. The box and packaging say "Microwear 9", which based on my research is a $20 Chinese AliExpress Apple Watch knockoff. It was obvious at this time that I'd been scammed. Eric had blocked me on Facebook, and the watch was still listed for sale on Facebook marketplace.
You can read the whole, unedited transcript of our conversation here in 8 screenshots: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Want to contact me about this website? No problem! Email scammer@EricHodnett.com and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
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