Odometer Fraud Is On The Rise In Pennsylvania And Elsewhere

In certain parts of Miami, Los Angeles, and New York City, most of the people you see are considerably older than they look.  Just as the phenomenon of people drinking from the artificial Fountain of Youth is concentrated in certain areas of the country, so is the phenomenon of vehicles lying about their age.  The difference is that, if the young lady who passes by you on the street as you both return to your respective workplaces after your lunch break is actually in her 50s, your financial situation is exactly as it would be if she were in her 30s, as her youthful appearance would suggest.  Meanwhile, cars that have spent more time on the road than their drivers think they have pose a real risk.  If your car has actually traveled more miles than its odometer says it has, then you will have to spend more money on repairs more frequently than if its odometer reflected its true mileage.  The car is also at higher risk of malfunctioning in mid-trip and causing a collision, resulting in financial or physical harm to multiple people.  In other words, the consequences of odometer fraud are serious enough that it is worthwhile to speak up if you suspect that someone tampered with your car’s odometer before you bought it.  A Philadelphia used car fraud lawyer can help you if you think that you have been a victim of odometer fraud.

Pennsylvania Odometer Fraud Statistics

CarFax is a company that keeps data on the history of vehicles sold at dealerships, including reports of odometer fraud and other forms of used car fraud.  According to a recent report by CarFax, the incidence of odometer fraud increased seven percent in 2022, compared to 2021.  Several factors could account for this increase.  First, new cars have been in short supply for the past several years, and therefore gently used vehicles are in high demand.  Second, the technology that enables fraudsters to tamper with digital odometers is becoming more effective.

The report estimates that 1.9 vehicles on the road nationwide have odometers that show a lower mileage than what the car has actually traveled, unbeknownst to their owners.  1.2 of these vehicles are in the ten states with the largest vehicle markets.  Pennsylvania ranks sixth for number of sales of cars with fraudulent odometer readings, with over 68,000 such cars sold in 2022.  The states where odometer fraud is even more widespread than in Pennsylvania are California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois.  CarFax estimates that the average case of odometer fraud leads to the customer paying approximately $4,000 more for the car than its true value.

Contact Louis S. Schwartz About Odometer Fraud Claims

A Philadelphia consumer law attorney can help you if a used car dealership misled you into paying an unfairly high price for your car by tampering with its odometer.  Contact Louis S. Schwartz at CONSUMERLAWPA.com to set up a free, confidential consultation.

Sources:

autoblog.com/2023/01/02/mileage-rollback-carfax/

carfax.com/press/resources/odometer?partner=RON_A%20image.png