“Rolled back odometers can cause a loss of tens of thousands of dollars to an unsuspecting car buyer. California DMV investigators work to protect consumers from this crime by investigating reports of this suspected activity.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
ROCKLIN – On June 20, 2023, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO)announced that it is investigating a large group of scammers as a result of an original investigation involving a suspected rolled back odometer.
In July of 2022, the PCSO received a report of a vehicle purchased from Craigslist; the new owner suspected the odometer had been rolled back, which was ultimately confirmed to be true. This resulted in approximately a $10,000 loss from the victim as the value of the vehicle was falsified due to the odometer being altered by the suspects.
An extensive investigation was launched, and several search warrants were written to assist with identifying the suspect who altered the odometer of the vehicle that was sold. The suspect was eventually identified Shahriyar Ibadli, 21, of Sacramento. Ibadli is in the United States on a work visa from Azerbaijan.
In May of 2023, PCSO, with the assistance of the Rocklin California DMV Investigations Unit, served a search warrant at Ibadli’s Sacramento home. The search warrant yielded several items of evidence including odometer correction tools, titles for multiple vehicles, and vehicles with rolled-back odometers. Ibadli was subsequently arrested by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office for grand theft, theft by false pretenses, identity theft, falsifying vehicle registration, and perjury by declaration.
Ibadli is suspected of being part of a much larger group of scammers, resulting in several active investigations. It was found these scammers primarily use Craigslist to sell vehicles with rolled-back odometers that are in high demand, including Ford trucks, Toyota SUVs, Lexus SUVs, and Subarus. PCSO reports odometer rollback fraud has become a prominent issue in the Placer County and Sacramento County regions.
