Mechanic shows how easy it is to roll back odometers, costing you money | What to know

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Odometer fraud is on the rise, costing consumers money and possibly putting them in danger.

Odometer rollbacks cost consumers thousands of dollars, and according to CARFAX, more than 2 million cars on the road may have had their odometers rolled back this year. That's up more than 18% since 2021 and up more than 82,000 vehicles from just last year.

Pennsylvania makes the top 10 list of states with potentially the most rollbacks.

"Pennsylvania is number seven in all the states. It has about 70,300 suspected odometer rollbacks," said Em Nguyen of CARFAX.

Philadelphia ranks number nine out of the top 100 metropolitan areas with the most suspected rollbacks.

Today's technology makes making this fraud easier to perpetrate.

"When I first started my business, this tool was $10,000," said John Ingle, President of Atlanta Speedometer.

It's a legitimate tool for mechanics but you don't need any certification or license to get it. And a quick search online shows how easily you can find one.

"In the past several years, prices have really gone down. This particular one I'm holding in my hand only goes for about a couple hundred dollars."

The process is easy and quite fast. A mechanic hired by CARFAX rolls back a truck with about 310,000 miles on it to less than 100,000.

"So when I press enter. 1, 2, 3 a couple seconds will pass, you'll see it go out and you will see it return with the mileage that we programmed it to."

How does this translate to cost and safety for the consumer?

"It can be dangerous when you're buying a car that's much older than you expect. That could mean maintenance down the line. That could mean you are stranded on the side of the road with your family in the car. It could be potential dangers while you're on the road for yourself and others. Consumers lose an average of about $4,000 in value when they are buying -- unexpectedly buying -- a rolled-back vehicle," said Nguyen.

Odometer rollback can be very difficult to spot, that's why CARFAX suggests getting any used vehicle looked at by an independent mechanic you trust before you buy it.

You can check for accurate mileage by getting a vehicle history report from CARFAX.