SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Tax Office is reporting a recent increase in fraud related to property taxes and vehicle titles.
Tax Assessor-Collector Albert Uresti said that scammers have been tricking consumers with fraudulent tax statements or purchasing vehicles with fraudulent or stolen titles, according to a press release.
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In the case of tax statements, Uresti said that all official outbound emails use the domain extension “@bexar.org.”
If you receive a tax statement that seems suspicious or from a different domain extension, it should be reported to the tax assessor at taxoffice@bexar.org. You can also call (210) 335-2251.
“Our mission statement is and always will be ‘To Help Keep Families In Their Homes with an emphasis on helping our Senior Citizens, our Disabled, our Veterans and ultimately our Children,’” said Uresti.
Uresti added that, with vehicle prices rising and a shortage of inventory, consumers may be turning to unconventional means of purchasing cars in an effort to save money.
This includes buying from places like social media, rather than an auto dealership.
“Recently, there have been several individuals come into the County Tax Office to transfer the title to a purchased vehicle, only to find out that the title they have been given is fraudulent or the car is stolen,” Uresti said.
The Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office has guidelines on ensuring private auto purchases are safe and legitimate, the release said.
You can:
- Ask the seller to meet at a local Tax Office to transfer the title before a cash payment is made. The release said this ensures the title is valid and transferable.
- There is a link on the DMV homepage that allows potential buyers to search for title information and owners based on the vehicle identification number (VIN). You can find it here.
- If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A seller may not own the rightful title to a vehicle.
- Above all, if things don’t seem right, do not buy the vehicle. Trust your instincts.
