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Idaho Transportation
Department

Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
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Changes to vehicle titles to help reduce fraud


You found the perfect used car. Looks great. Runs good. And low mileage, too. But how do you know the odometer reading is accurate? How do you know the odometer hasn’t been tampered with or “rolled back?”

Idahoans can be even more confident of their used car purchases because of new, state-of-the art security measures on Idaho vehicle titles.

Odometer readings are listed on vehicle titles. To stop any attempt to alter those readings on the title, the transportation department is using a new weapon against fraud, thermo chromic ink.

“Thermo chromic ink is activated by heat. Simply rubbing your finger over a red ‘X’ in any of the signature boxes on the title causes the new ink to disappear and when it cools it reappears,” said Amy Smith, Idaho Transportation Department Vehicle Services Manager.

“This is a security check that used car buyers and financial lending agencies can quickly and easily use to identify a legitimate title.”

Another new feature is a microprint line in the background of the odometer disclosure field. If alteration of the odometer record is attempted, the microprint will be visibly altered.
“Nationwide, tampering with the odometer reading is the most common form of title fraud; however, it is not something that is a serious issue in Idaho,” said Smith.

“The transportation department’s ongoing effort to stop fraud plays a significant role in preventing these crimes from occurring.”

More than 452,000 cases of odometer fraud are committed in the United States annually, costing Americans more than $1 billion in damages each year, according to a 2002 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study.

“These new safety measures exceed the title security standards set by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators,” said Pamela Lowe, Idaho Transportation Department Division of Motor Vehicles Administrator. “As nationwide leaders in transportation, the department is committed to using innovative technology to better serve our customers.”

In addition to the new ink and microprint, Idaho’s vehicle titles already feature an eagle watermark, an embedded security thread and a copy-prevention feature that produces the word “VOID.”

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