SAN ANTONIO – A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the purchase of a car with stolen personal information.
According to San Antonio police, Austen Lopez, 30, bought a 2019 Audi worth $21,000 at a San Antonio car dealership.
Soon after the purchase, a 74-year-old woman started receiving car payments for the vehicle.
The woman went to the car dealership where the purchase was made and spoke with a sales manager. The sales manager looked into the matter and recognized the woman’s name, police said.
The victim told the sales manager that she didn’t sign the paperwork and didn’t consent to the purchase of the car. The sales manager told the woman that Lopez claimed to be her relative, which they’re not, police said.
Police suspect that Lopez got the woman’s documents from her car.
When Lopez was arrested, he was found in possession of a state identification card that had someone else’s information and a picture of his. Lopez also had a check that didn’t belong to him, police said.
Police are investigating the possibility of Lopez being involved in more similar cases.
Lopez is charged with fraudulent use or possession of identifying information- elderly and exploitation of an elderly person. He is also expected to be charged with forgery and tampering with government documents.
Police urge people to avoid leaving important personal documents in their cars and to check their credit profiles regularly.