Fraudulently rolling back a car's mileage is still possible even on digital odometers, according to experts. A Michigan mom says it happened to her used car that broke down a few days after purchase.
It used to be a classic car scam: rolling back the odometer to make the miles disappear, so shady car dealers could sell the vehicle for more money.
Now that cars have digital odometers, you might think it's a problem of the past. However, with cheap devices available online, it's easier than ever for scammers to mess with the mileage on used vehicles and sell them for thousands more than they're worth.
Jennifer Tebedo says it happened to her when who bought a 2012 Dodge Charger with just 75,000 miles on it. She thought it was the perfect first car for her son and paid $11,000 for it. But after just a few days of driving, the engine light came on, so she brought it to a mechanic.
“After they took it apart and gave me a full safety inspection, they wouldn't let me drive it away. They said, ‘This car’s been in a major accident,’” Tebedo said.
According to Tebedo, the vehicle actually had at least 110,000 miles on it. She said it was in such bad shape, the mechanic wouldn't allow it back on the road.
“I really just have a pile of parts and a bill at this point,” Tebedo said.
The Michigan dealer where she bought it refuses to refund Tebedo, saying they had no idea the odometer had been rolled back. The seller who owned it before them says they had no part in the deception either. Tebedo is now suing both.
Josh Ingle, owner of Atlanta Speedometer in Atlanta, Georgia, showed Inside Edition how it can be done in seconds with a digital roll-back device that's sold online.
“Few simple clicks of the button, change the mileage to whatever you want to. We knock 100,000 miles off it real fast,” Ingle said.
