It's because of those reasons that state and federal laws restrict both odometer tampering, and also a false odometer disclosure papers. federal laws require those seller provided a detailed odometer disclosure statement and certifies the following:

(a) the odometers mileage reading is accurate for that car,

(b) the odometer shows the actual number of miles the vehicle has traveled even if it is beyond mechanical limits of the odometer, or

(c) the number on the odometer is incorrect.

Besides rolling back or modifying odometer readings (e.g. using odometer "kill switches"), unscrupulous sellers of motor vehicles also ignore tell-tale signs of possible odometer discrepancies or fraud. For example, there may be inconsistent odometer readings recorded in a vehicle's title or repair history.

One example would be where the mileage drops during one calendar year. That's pretty much a give away that something is going on. In other cases, the seller may notice that the odometer has been tampered with by seeing missing screws or scratch marks on the odometer casing.

Evidence like this should put the seller on alert and start an investigation into the vehicle's history to check on the odometer readings. If the seller fails to investigate this than he is not certifying that the odometer is reflecting the actual mileage.

Car buyers who are concerned about the accuracy of odometer readings on a used vehicle can check the services such as Autocheck that gather background information on used vehicles. sometimes even these background reports are not accurate so. Another option is to take your car to a specialty garage where they can check for signs of tampering.

If it turns out that the seller does mess with the odometer or that he doesn't provide airtight odometer disclosures, use really looking for trouble, because federal law has serious penalties for such violators. Keep in mind though that federal laws regarding odometer tampering does not apply to vehicles that are more than 10 years old.