SAN ANTONIO — Alamo Heights officials and authorities are asking residents to be on alert for a popular fraud scheme that tricks buyers into purchasing vehicles on the internet with fake or stolen titles.
The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office has reported a recent increase of buyers being deceived by this con. The office says there are three confirmed buyers who were swindled out of $9,000, $5,000 and $14,000. Earlier this year they say they had buyers conned out of $10,000. $15,000 and $35,000.
“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 persons. 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 and/or people you don’t know, 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,” Albert Uresti, Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector said.
The Tax Assessor-Collector's Office offers guidelines on how to ensure your auto purchases are safe and legitimate. These guidelines include asking the buyer to meet at the local tax-accessor's office or one of the 19 private title companies in Bexar County, in order to transfer the title before a payment is made. There is also a link on the Texas DMV website. If transactions appear suspicious to the buyer they may make a request to our the Alamo Heights Police Department at 210-822-3321 for an officer to be present near-by to dissuade criminal activity.
“I’m asking our citizens to be careful and to be diligent when buying a vehicle from an individual you 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,” Uresti said.
