Odometer Fraud

hey guys. it brings me much displeasure to write this post, but ive been victim of odometer fraud. quick recap, bought the truck [2001 xtracab trd 4x4 sr5] about three weeks ago with 129,xxx on the odometer. person who i bought it from was very trusting guy. a couple of days ago, i decide to do my homework late, and find out from carfax the last reported mileage was 220,xxx +/- in 2014. needless to say i near died inside. from what i found on carfax, it seems that the owner previous to the guy i bought it on smoged it with the 220k miles on it, and sold it to the guy i bought it off of. the man i bought the truck off of says he has no idea how this could have happened, and would give me back my money, but it has already been spent. ive sent in a request to the DMV for a full vehicle history, but I dont know what to do at this point. you guys here are awesome and was hoping to get some good feedback from you guys.

ps. been beating myself up over not doing my homework, no need to rub it in.

tldr: victim of odometer fraud, what do next?

 

ive seen where those carfax reports can be completely wrong also.

 

You'll have to check actual records, CarFax is basically worthless information and never to be trusted as accurate in any way.

Either way, not much you can do about it.

 

Laws on topics like this vary from state to state.

Research yours.

 

Odometer fuckery is a federal crime and felony.

https://www.justice.gov/civil/case/federal-odometer-tampering-statutes

 

from everyone i have talked to and according to the toyota dealership and their records, it seems like it has been tampered with. i am going to a good family friend mechanic next week to have him check the truck out. ya im definitely keeping my fingers crossed because i love the truck. still holding out hope. have any of you guys had experience with inaccurate carfax? and if so what? thanks ramonortiz55 and DCSBFTMFW for giving me some hope.

as far as getting a lawyer, it is not worth the time or money to do so. its a long story but it doesnt seem like i can prove which of the previous owners messed with the truck. It could turn into a blame game.


THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE REPLIES! ITS AWESOME TO KNOW THERES DECENT PEOPLE HERE!

 

I'd call your local DMV and ask them how to go about reporting
what may be a fraud/deception by the PO whom you purchased from.
It's possible to install a different speedo if the original broke.
But that change requires documentation by law.

Even your local PD should be able to offer some advice or whom to call.

Getting a lawyer is a good idea...
but I would file the fraud complaints first.
And see where that gets you.

 

sell it...... sell it right now......... although i bet youll still get 100k out of it

 

Yea changing the odometer is allowed but it has to be documented on the title of the truck. Usually says something like "NAM" or "Not Actual Mileage" where the mileage is.

 

Lots of people have had wrong info from CarFax.

Like.. they buy a used car that seemed fine. CarFax was clean, no issues.

Then they find out it was totaled and rebuilt, and worth 30% of what they paid for it.

Nobody is required to report to CarFax, it's completely voluntary. To add, they're shit for taking information and recording it accurately, so what information they actually get (and use) isn't always correct. The bigger issue is since it's a privately owned company started with the intent of making profitable income, and people have the false impression that it's somehow a market watch dog organization here to save us all from the gallows of low quality used cars.

CarFax is quite literally useless.

 

Just looking at another angle, were there several readings on the carfax that showed the milage climbing? I ask because if I'm correct those numbers are given by mechanics who could have very easily made a mistake and placed in 220k rather than 120k. Did the guy give you any other paper work with the purchase, they usually write the milage on them somewhere.

 

been to local pd. everyone keeps telling me its a civil issue. and reporting the crime goes through the dmv, so i think we all will be dead by the time anyone is ever prosecuted.

living in the SF/BAY AREA i would be loosing probably 3000$, im tapped out of money after buying this thing, i dont know if that will work. Im hoping to hear back from the DMV/ mechanic and PO before making any decisions.

on the title that i received from DMV, there is nothing where the mileage is, like its blank.

yeah from 2001-2010 there is a steady climb in mileage. that was what i was hoping as well.


again thank you guys for all the responses. feel free to keep em co

 

+1 for this option. Hopefully this is the case for you OP. If not, there is probably not much you can do because you won't be able to prove who did what.

 

Hows the truck run? Do you like it? If the answers are good and yes respectively, move on and chalk it up to a life lesson. Focus on something you can actually fix like your worn out bushings

 

as far as I know it runs great, no leaks or nothing. and I love the truck. again I'm getting thurough check next week. my only dilemma is an I throwing good money after bad money by doing anything to this truck?

 

it likely is a civil case...

but it shouldn't be too hard to narrow down whom was the legal owner
at the time the inconsistency occurred.

Then file and take that person to small claims court.
Be sure you have all the DMV records and facts to present your case to the court.
Small claims can award you up to $ 5000. for damages.

If they don't show up to defend their case...
you win your claim due to their default (no show)

Of course if ya do nothing... ya get nothing.

 

You still have to prove the PO modified the odometer.. which you can't do.

Just because John A owned it at the time, doesn't mean he did it. You can't do anything with presumptions.

 

i had this issue before where someone fat fingered the mileage. it took the title holder to prove via yearly inspection papers that the mileage was wrong.

 

exactly