It’s been several years in the making. The Indiana State Attorney General’s Office started receiving consumer complaints in 2021. In March 2022, a local news story on a customer’s questionable experience with KBB Auto Sales in Indianapolis aired. It quickly triggered dozens more filings with state police against the car dealer. Now, Indiana State Attorney General Todd Rokita is officially suing the business, saying the state has evidence of 14 million “rollback miles” on at least 216 used cars sold by KBB Auto Sales.

The AG accuses the dealer of near-fictional, “Matilda”-esque deceit by manipulating hundreds of odometer readings and associated documentation. As such, used car buyers ended up with vehicles much more worn than they initially thought. Many of the vehicles quickly failed, leaving buyers stranded with car payments due anyway.

In one 2022 case, a woman purchased a GMC big enough to fit her family. She spent $7,000 on the used car. Two days later, the “check engine” light came on. She took the vehicle to Auto Zone for a diagnostic reading, which contained catalytic converter fault codes. Several days later, the car died in the middle of the road. She had it towed, she told WRTV Indianapolis. 12 hours later, the local news aired a story on KBB Auto Sales’ shady practices. 

After watching the exposing report, she contacted the state detective. Sales documents stated the GMC mileage at somewhere around 132,000. “In fact that is incorrect,” she told WRTV. The car actually had closer to 200,000 miles clocked. In other words, KBB Auto Sales rolled the odometer back about 70,000 miles before selling her the car. She still awaits a refund.

In another case, a customer purchased a used vehicle from KBB Auto Sales, including financing through the business. Everything seemed “fine” until they got a call from the state detective. The official identified the customer as a victim of odometer fraud. In turn, they filed a lawsuit against the car dealer. The next day, the vehicle was gone.

KBB Auto Sales “repossessed” the car, citing a “lack of insurance.” When the customer corrected the rep, stating that they did indeed have car insurance, the KBB Auto Sales rep eventually mentioned the lawsuit and demanded full payment for the vehicle. Since then, the dealer resold the vehicle to another consumer. This buyer still hasn’t received any refund, either.

Fast-forward to September 2024, and Attorney General Rokita says there’s enough evidence to sue. To date, 46 used car buyers have come forward with consumer complaints, while 216 vehicles were identified as “tampered with” before the sale. All told, authorities estimate the dealership committed nearly 14 million rollback miles.

“This outright fraud unfairly gives a bad name to the good and honest people working in the used-car business,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Worse than that, these unethical tactics deceive consumers who buy these vehicles with rolled-back odometers. They wind up with higher-mileage cars and trucks with more wear and tear than they thought.”

Folks suspecting they could be a victim of car dealer fraud are encouraged to file a consumer complaint with their State Attorney General’s Office.