Tim Hodge Marketplace car parts ‘scammer’ strikes yet again, more customers defrauded

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The “skelme” car parts salesman Tim Hodge has struck again.

Melinda Hagan from Pietermaritzburg says she came across Hodge’s Facebook post on MarketPlace about three weeks ago where he sells all car parts.

“I said I am looking for a Polo dash strip and he said he can get it for me as he has one in stock,” she says.


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“He charged me R495 and an additional R110 for courier and said I should not be upset if it takes a bit long to get to me, and I told him as long as I get it by the Saturday because that is when I am selling my vehicle, and he said he will have it by the Wednesday.

“He sent me an invoice and it looked decent, it had an email address, telephone number and banking details.

“He said I should do an instant payment and he only communicated via WhatsApp and did not phone.

“His advert on Facebook also looked genuine because it looks like he had a warehouse with pictures of engines and everything. That is why I never thought I was being scammed.”

Melinda adds that after she paid the geld, he ghosted her.

“I asked him for a waybill and he said they have no power [electricity], they will send it as soon as they get power and my instinct told me something is not right.

“I phoned the number on the invoice and it went straight to voicemail,” she says

“I kept messaging him and phoning him on WhatsApp but it just rang.”

Melinda says Hodge told her that he lives in Standerton in Johannesburg, but the Daily Voice received an anonymous tip-off that he had been spotted in Paarl last week.

When contacted via email on Thursday, Hodge denied the allegations, and said he was in Paarl but was visiting a friend.

He also threatened legal action, but then asked for more time to formulate a response. However, no response was forthcoming by Tuesday.

On September 9, 2022, Hodge appeared in the Daily Voice for allegedly scamming a man from Brackenfell into paying over R10 000 for spare parts.

Wesley Stevens said he paid Hodge in July for parts to rebuild a 1994 Jaguar XJ, but the crafty salesman left him with an empty bank account and no parts.

Hodge did not reply to queries from the Daily Voice at the time.


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