Digital Odometer Fraud on the Rise

How To Protect Yourself From Getting Scammed September 2003 (Newstream) -- Odometer fraud is on the rise. Despite being illegal in every state, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports nearly half a million cases of odometer fraud every year. Now, the scam has gone high tech - even digital odometers are being tampered with. Foreign companies sell software on the Internet that enables con artists to roll even digital odometers back. By lowering the mileage, they're falsely inflating the value of the car and you end up paying much more than you should. Down the road, you'll also most likely pay for expensive repairs.

According to automotive experts, the best way to protect yourself from hidden problems is to do your homework before buying a used car. By getting the VIN number from the car, consumers can have CARFAX run a Vehicle History Report, which gives them the vehicle's complete - and accurate - history. If the mileage on the CARFAX report doesn't match up with the mileage on the odometer, it's a car to avoid.