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When the vast majority of people out there try to imagine how a person would change the numbers on a vehicle odometer to give a lower mileage readout, they picture one thing. That would be some man or woman with some type of pointed little tool actually manipulating the little wheels on the odometer. In fact nothing could be further from the truth because for one thing today most of vehicles use a digital mileage or kilometer readout.

So most folks are surprised to learn that altering the mileage reading on a vehicle is actually a much simpler task. You see in reality when most fraudsters want to change the readout on their vehicle to a lower number, they simply head on down to the wrecking yard, pull the speedometer out of a car or truck that was totaled early in its life, and then simply change it out with their own. It's that easy. Or they just buy a new speedometer.

So in all actuality it's really quite difficult to detect a mileage readout switch. Particularly if it's done by skilled professional, and if the person looking at the car or truck with an eye towards buying it is unaware of what to look for. So then what warning signs should you look for when you're examining a used vehicle for clues that the mileage that's showing isn't "legitimate"? The answer to that is there are several things they can clue you in that something is amiss.

Now the first one is easy because you don't have to even inspect the vehicle. Rather this "red flag" is a car or truck, particularly in older model that has an "unusually low" numbers of miles or kilometers showing on the odometer. Now of course when you're shopping for a used vehicle, low mileage is a definite plus. But it has to be within reason so a vehicle that's showing "extremely unusual" low miles should be suspect.

Then you need to take a little time to climb inside a vehicle to give it an interior inspection with a focus on certain areas that receive wear as a car or truck is driven. For instance the steering wheel will have a certain amount wear on it, and it should match what's showing on the odometer. Then you need to take a close look at the drivers side armrest, as well as the floor pedals, and the carpeting that's underneath them to check for wear.

Then lastly you need to give the dashboard a close-up inspection and what you'll be examining here is the screws, nuts, and bolts that hold it in place. Look very carefully to see if any are missing because that would be an indicator that the dashboard has been removed to replace the speedometer. Then another thing to check for here is scratches on the screws themselves that a tool would leave and scratches on the plastic around the screws.