How common is odometer fraud?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 450,000 vehicles are sold each year with false odometer readings. They estimate that this fraud costs consumers over $1 billion a year. The scam is a common one.

How serious is odometer fraud?

“Odometer fraud is a serious crime that costs Americans more than $1 billion annually,” an agency spokesman said. Altering a vehicle’s odometer reading has been illegal since 1972 and was further discouraged by the Truth in Mileage Act of 1986, which requires mileage disclosure when ownership is transferred.

Can a digital odometer be hacked?

And it’s not just the old school mechanical ones but digital odometers as well. The most common way hackers do this is by manually rolling back the odometer’s wheels. Digital odometer fraud has become just as common. Changing the display of a digital odometer is similar to computer hacking.

How common is odometer rollback?

According to this NHTSA study (PDF), approximately 452,000 used cars with false odometer readings are sold each year, or 3.47 percent of all used vehicles sold. This means that if you plan to buy a used car, there is around a one in 29 chance you could experience odometer rollback fraud.

Is it illegal to lie about a cars mileage?

Laws and Regulations Committing odometer fraud is a crime. The federal government passed a law that requires a written disclosure of the mileage registered on an odometer be provided on the title by the seller to the purchaser when the ownership of a vehicle is transferred.

Is digital odometer tamper proof?

Yes. Any odometer can be changed or altered, and digital ones are no exception. There are special tools needed to tamper with digital odometers that leave little evidence. Scammers will either edit the numbers on the display or replace the memory chip with one that has fewer miles on it.

Is it possible to rollback a digital odometer?

Digital odometers can be rolled back by removing the vehicle’s circuit board to change the odometer reading, or using rollback equipment that hooks right into the vehicle’s electronic circuit.