CARFAX Identifies 10 States That Have the Most Vehicles with Rolled Back Odometers Scam

Here are the results from a recent CARFAX study that identifies these 10 states as the ones that you are most likely to buy a used car with a rolled back odometer.

Used Car Shopping Scam

Looking for a used car entails a lot of work and knowledge on car shoppers on how to assess a used car’s value, what used car models to avoid, and how to properly inspect a used car before buying one.

And then, as if things weren’t difficult enough with the used car market the smart used car shopper has to have his or her scam radar on to avoid scams perpetuated by unscrupulous dealerships.

Which brings me to what I consider to be one of the most insidious used car scams that is a growing problem and is costing each consumer on average four-thousand dollars on their used car purchase: Odometer fraud.

According to a CARFAX study, used car shoppers need to be aware that odometer fraud is on the rise. and how that this year has been especially significant. But don’t think that this is limited to just used car dealerships---private sellers as well are learning the tricks of this scam trade so as to resell their used or flipped vehicles at a greater profit.

In fact, CARFAX experts reported:

“Many people think odometer fraud disappeared with the invention of digital odometers,” said Emilie Voss, Public Relations Director for CARFAX. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re still seeing the number of vehicles on the road with a rolled back odometer rise year-over-year. It takes con artists a matter of minutes to wipe thousands and thousands of miles off a vehicle’s odometer, and unfortunately these swindlers likely see this unprecedented used car market as a way to make quick buck.”

Ten States with The Most Vehicles with Rolled Back Odometers

According to CARFAX, “More than 1.9 million vehicles on the road have had their odometer rolled back---a 7% increase from the previous year.”

That said, here is a summary of which states they have identified as having the most vehicles with rolled back odometers:

1. California: 437,600 (up 2%)
2. Texas: 245,600 (up 15%)
3. New York: 91,720 (up 4%)
4. Florida: 84,200 (up 12%)
5. Illinois: 73,400 (up 5%)
6. Pennsylvania: 68,200 (up 5%)
7. Georgia: 65,000 (up 1%)
8. Virginia: 56,000 (up 2%)
9. Arizona: 54,400 (up 12%)
10. North Carolina: 45,300 (up 7%)

Protect Yourself

To protect yourself from an odometer scam by learning:

• How it’s done
• Signs to look for that indicate a possible odometer scam
• How to determine if the odometer has been altered
• What you can do about it

check out this informative article titled “The Most Important Used Car Scam Everyone Should Be Aware About” that includes a video on how one family was scammed.

And finally…

For additional articles related to used car scams, here are a few for your consideration:

• This Dealership Recently Caught Scamming Car Buyers with Odometer Fraud

• Don’t Get Scammed by a Great Looking Biodegradable Mercedes Like This Guy Did

• Scam Alert: What Dealerships Don’t Want You to Know About Used Car Inspections

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Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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