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Step 1
Examine the vehicle thoroughly before purchasing. Observe unusual wear on the brake pedal. Look for wear on ignition and door keys.
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Step 2
Try to contact the previous owner. That is the best person to tell you about the vehicle, although don't expect that person to admit to odometer tampering if in fact it was done.
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Step 3
Do a title search through the county title department or with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Remember that due to privacy laws, the previous owner's name and address will not be revealed.
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Step 4
Find the year, make, model, body code, mileage and lien holders. You can compare the mileage upon prior purchase to your mileage. It may appear to be excessive which would match up to the wear on the brakes, accelerator and ignition.
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Step 5
Consider looking into the matter further if the vehicle was titled out of state. The previous state could have additional information on the vehicle you should have before purchasing.
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Step 6
Ask a lot of questions of the seller. Be skeptical if he is being evasive. It takes simple tools to spin or erase odometer figures in a short time. Odometer violators know how to launder a vehicle's title history by transferring the ownership from state to state. This makes it almost impossible for investigators to trace the odometer fraud rollback. If the vehicle has been transferred many times from state to state, chances are it has been tampered with.
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Step 7
Contact your State Highway Patrol, which is a division of your Department of Public Safety if you suspect tampering. The Patrol monitors complaints of possible odometer rollback fraud.
