Man charged in odometer tampering
By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer
A Waikiki man who allegedly altered the odometer on a used car he sold to a Kailua couple is being prosecuted on felony theft and misdemeanor odometer misrepresentation charges.
Here are some tips from Deputy Attorney General Ricky Damerville on how to avoid being a victim of an odometer scam: • Be suspicious of sellers who demand cash only and will not accept a cashier's check. • Be skeptical if the name on the title release form is not the same as the sellers — ask the seller to show you some identification. • Take the car to a reputable mechanic to inspect before you hand over the money.
Claude Talan, who also goes by Claude Manders and Paul Arnet, was indicted by the O'ahu grand jury last month on charges of misrepresenting the mileage on a 1990 Nissan Maxima. Talan pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial May 12. He could not be reached to comment yesterday.
Odometer scams
State Deputy Attorney General Ricky Damerville said investigators believe the car Talan sold to the couple actually had about 142,000 miles on it, but that the odometer was altered to show about 72,000 miles.
Damerville could not immediately say how common odometer tampering cases are in Hawai'i. But he said there is a correlation between high auto theft rates, which is the situation here, and odometer tampering.
Some years ago, consumer magazines advised used car buyers to be skeptical if the odometer reading was low while worn carpets, seats and door handles and other signs of heavy use suggested otherwise.
"Crooks apparently read the same article," Damerville said. Today, it is not uncommon for them to replace the carpet, seats, door handles and other parts to make the car appear it was used less that it really was. The need for cheap parts fuels car thefts here, Damerville said.
He said he suspects the incidence of odometer tampering is actually much higher than indicated by the number of cases prosecuted.
"Some consumers probably don't realize it is a crime while others might just decide to get rid of the car," Damerville said.
If convicted of second-degree theft, Talan could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Misrepresenting the mileage on a car is punishable by up to a year in jail and fine of up to $2,000.
Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of an "odometer rollback scam" should call police or the Attorney General's office at 586-1240, Damerville said. He said statistics from the federal Department of Transportation indicate that last year, more than 450,000 cars with rolled back odometers were passed off to American consumers at a cost of more than $1 billion.
