Father, Son Duo Accused Of Rolling Back Odometers To Boost Car Sales

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A father and son duo were arrested after authorities say they altered odometers in vehicles in order to boost sales.

According to detectives, several vehicles, while parked on the private property of a vacant retail business located at 2807 Hempstead Turnpike, were window marked with vehicle information and were being offered for sale.

An investigation by detectives revealed that 5 of the 6 cars offered for sale, as well as other previous sales to unsuspecting buyers, had the vehicles odometer and titles indicating altered mileage totals. In one case the actual mileage discrepancy was in excess of 197,000 miles, CBS2's Dave Carlin reports.

Cory Vlado, 45, of 1903 Freeman Avenue and Steve Vlado, 29, were arrested Friday.

Both are charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, two counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument 2nd Degree and Defraud 1st Degree.

The Better Business Bureau says do the math with this number in mind: 12 Thousand miles -- which is what the average vehicle racks up per year.

Always demand a vehicle history report, including service records.

And investigate online using the 17-digit vehicle identification number or Vin, to get information kept by the States.

"If you're going to buy a car, go through a dealer or someone who is licensed to sell them," said East Meadow resident Neil Swensen.

Detectives are seeking additional persons who believe that they may have been victimized by the defendants with the purchase of a vehicle and are asking them to call the Major Case Bureau, Vehicle Theft Squad at (516) 573-5275.