Odometer fraud remains rampant, recent CARFAX data shows.

More than 2.14 million cars on the road may have had their odometer rolled back this year, up more than 18 percent since 2021, and up more than 82,000 vehicles from just last year.

“Odometer rollbacks can occur when an unscrupulous owner or seller of a car alters the miles that display on a car’s gauge cluster,” said Faisal Hasan, vice president of Data and Public Policy at CARFAX. “This might be done as a way to avoid mileage charges in a vehicle lease or to dramatically increase the value of a car. Today’s technology makes rolling an odometer back easier than ever.” It can take a bad actor just seconds to roll back an odometer, causing unsuspecting buyers to lose an average of $4,000 in value…not to mention the additional costs of unexpected repairs and potential safety risks.

Jimmy Hendon, a driver in Atlanta explained how he found a Chevy 4×4 truck that seemed perfect, in great conditions and with low miles. When he ran a CARFAX report on the vehicle, he discovered the truck had approximately 180,000 miles rather than the 108,000 stated.

“The mileage was so far off from the accurate mileage that it was crazy,” Hendon said.

Nine of the top 10 states with the most vehicles with rolled back odometers saw an increase this year.

Virginia saw the biggest spike last year, at nearly 11.7 percent, followed by Arizona, up 8 percent, and Florida, up 6.4 percent.