Newsflash from Bexar County News - January 3rd, 2025
The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office is reporting another increase in buyers being tricked into purchasing vehicles with fraudulent titles or which have been stolen. In the last two weeks, we have had two buyers swindled out of $42,000 and $19,000 each. Last year, we had buyers cheated out of $9,000, $5,000, $14,000, $10,000, $15,000, and $35,000 cash.
Many people believe they can save money by buying a vehicle from an advertisement on social media rather than from an auto dealership, BUT BEWARE! These con men and women are professionals and skilled at swindling people. The seller will provide the buyer with a copy of an ID that appears legitimate but is not. They let buyers test drive the vehicles and may offer to go to the bank with them. In the last year, and as recently as this December, several individuals have come into our Tax Office to transfer the title into their name on a vehicle they bought on the internet, only to find out that the vehicle is stolen or the title they have been given is fraudulent, and in some cases, the seller used a fake identification as well.
“I cannot tell you how much it breaks my heart to see a family’s hard-earned money be stolen from them by such unscrupulous individuals. We want the public to know that the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office is a safe zone for them when purchasing a vehicle. Any person-to-person transactions, especially with cash, should be done in our office with both the buyer and seller present. If the seller will not come with you to our office, do NOT buy the car until you have verified the title and vehicle information,” said Albert Uresti, Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector.
The Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office offers guidelines on how to ensure private auto purchases are safe and legitimate. Primarily, the buyer can ask the seller to meet them at the local Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office, or one of the 19 private Full-Service Title Companies in Bexar County, to transfer the title before a payment is made. This ensures that the title is valid and transferable. There is also a link on the TxDMV website
https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/title-check-look-before-you-buy that allows a buyer to search for certain title information based on the vehicle identification number. Citizens can also call the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office at 210-335-2251 to verify certain information.“I’m asking our citizens to be careful and to be diligent when buying a vehicle from an individual they don’t know, especially if you find it on an internet site. The seller may not have a real title to the vehicle, or it may even be stolen. If the car is stolen, law enforcement will seize the vehicle. Buyers should follow this simple rule of thumb: If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is, so proceed with caution,” said Albert Uresti.
If you do plan to purchase a vehicle; please be sure to check out CPS IBEW FCU's amazing auto loan rates. 
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