Beware of flood-damaged cars

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — When vehicles are damaged by severe storms or floodwaters, they don’t always end up in a junkyard.

Some of them end up on a used car lot without all of the needed repairs.

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“Scammers will often take cars from regions that have been flooded, say Houston or Florida, or the East Coast,” Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of CARFAX, said.

Those are just some of the areas affected by heavy rains, flood waters and hurricanes over the last several weeks, damaging homes, businesses and personal property – like vehicles.

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Olsen said that doesn’t stop shady sellers from trying to move the merchandise and make some money.

Data from CARFAX shows that last year, more than half a million — 543,000 — water-damaged cars were on roadways across the country, including in Ohio.

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“They will clean up those cars and look showroom fresh, and then they’ll move them all over the country,” Olsen said.

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