Odometer Fraud Goes Digital

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Studies Estimate Up To 50 Percent of Used Car Odometers Are Rolled Back

February 2002 It's illegal in every state in the U.S., but odometer fraud, one of the oldest tricks in the books, is on the increase and now has even gone high-tech. Many people think digital odometers are not susceptible to being rolled back, but according to the experts all it takes is the right software and hardware to make the odometer read whatever number a scam artist wants.

A number of foreign Web sites now market equipment to roll back digital odometers. And, although the fine print says these products shouldn't be used for unlawful purposes, more and more dishonest mechanics do so to falsely inflate the value of a car. This fraud also increases the chances the buyer will have to pay for expensive repairs.

Automotive experts say the best way consumers can protect themselves against hidden problems when purchasing a used car is to do their homework. Carfax.com has over a billion vehicle records on used cars. They can show everything from rebuilt wrecks to odometer fraud.

Used car buyers can run a preliminary Carfax record check for free, to see how many records are available on a specific car, or a used car they are thinking of buying. Just get the VIN number from the car, log on to http://www.carfax.com/record and follow the instructions.