Before you buy a used car, read this post. People really do have the technological capability—and the desire—to change the mileage on a well worn automobile.
Rami (@rami_sf415), who frequently publishes car related TikToks, posted one that shows him hooking up wires and a tablet device to his car through its dashboard computer.
After a progress bar ticks down on the tablet screen, the car’s mileage drops from above 190,000 miles to below 100,000 miles—shedding roughly 100,000 miles in a few seconds.
“You just better watch out,” he says in the video, “because I might just be the last one who was in the car before you buy it.”
Rigging the Numbers
The internet is full of so-called odometer correction tools like the one Rami used for his trick, but is the practice of shifting the mileage on a car legal?
“And just like that, you committed a federal crime. And recorded it,” a TikTok user going by Hanxro posted, along with a laughing while crying emoji.
Hanxro would only be right if Rami sought to resell the vehicle he used for his demonstration without disclosing it to the consumer. We have no reason to believe that he did that. He also could have changed the mileage back after making the video.
Motor1 reached out to Rami on TikTok direct message but did not immediately receive a response.
Federal law forbids sellers from manipulating a vehicle’s odometer to deceive a consumer. Doing so can result in three years in federal prison, as well as fines. But what happens if the fraud isn’t detected?
A few commenters named CARFAX as an answer to the threat of potential mileage manipulation. The data company, which offers detailed history reports of used vehicles, has emerged as a resource for consumers who want to avoid being cheated by sellers.
“CARFAX will know,” a TikTok user going by “Ian” wrote.
“CARFAX never fails,” another user named Joham wrote.
CARFAX cannot legally guarantee that they will detect any and all odometer fraud, but its reports do flag manipulation of that kind—it’s why the company exists in the first place. On CARFAX’s website, they list the agencies in every state where victims of such manipulation can make their claims.
For buyers, the best defense is vigilance. Odometer fraud is a crime that thrives on consumers being unaware. Rami’s video, which has racked up over a half-million views as well as thousands of shares and nearly 15,000 likes, likely made a lot more people realize that fraud like this is possible.
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