Odometer rollbacks were a thing back in the day when cars had mechanical components tracking mileage instead of advanced computers. Despite the complexity involved in tampering with modern vehicles, one Ohio dealership group is accused of rolling back the mileage on used vehicles and deceiving buyers about the condition of its inventory.
Ohio’s state Attorney General, Dave Yost, is taking action against Mega Group, a Columbus-based company accused of several offenses, including rolling back odometers, tampering with paperwork, and failing to disclose the rebuilt/salvage designations on vehicle titles. Mega Group also sold cars at an unapproved location and failed to file title applications with the state on time.
Yost’s lawsuit aims to help impacted customers, but his office has received dozens of complaints, so it’s unclear how much relief each will get. At the very least, the dealership group may face a suspension or revocation of its license if it’s found guilty, and there are serious federal consequences involved in some cases. Depending on the verdict, federal penalties could reach $10,000 and up to three years in jail.
New vehicles have electronic odometers that can’t be tampered with as easily as the old-school mechanical units. However, bad actors can still crack them and roll back the odometer with code and software instead of a screwdriver.
[Image: Pamela Au via Shutterstock]
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from TheTruthAboutCars https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/ohio-dealership-group-accused-of-odometer-rollbacks-and-deceptive-practices-44502874?utm_medium=auto&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=all_full
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