More people are being duped by vehicle scams, losing thousands of dollars as they chase too-good-to-be-true deals on cars in online marketplaces, according to the Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office.
Tax Assessor-Collector Albert Uresti said this week that thieves are targeting people buying through private sellers online, only to learn later that a vehicle title is fake or the vehicle itself was stolen.
Uresti said one person who did not speak English lost $23,000 in a scam Wednesday, and another person lost $1,000 in a similar case. In the last three weeks alone, four people were swindled out of $20,000, $24,000, $23,000 and $1,000, Uresti said.
Uresti’s office said the cases reflect a broader pattern. From November 2025 through February 2026, buyers were defrauded out of cash payments ranging from $6,000 to $18,000, the office said. Before November 2025, buyers in other cases lost between $5,000 and $42,000.
“It is heartbreaking to continue to see cases where individuals, believing they are saving money, are purchasing vehicles through private online transactions, only to find that the title is fraudulent or the vehicle is stolen,” Uresti said. “I strongly encourage buyers to complete any person-to-person transactions, especially those involving cash, in our Tax Office with both the buyer and seller present. If the seller refuses to meet you in our office, DO NOT BUY THE VEHICLE!” Uresti said in a statement.
Many of the deals happen through informal meetups at bank and store parking lots, apartment complexes and other public places. In one recent case, the office said, a family lost $24,000 after meeting a seller in Houston and buying a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe.
The seller showed the buyer what was later determined to be fraudulent identification, and the SUV was later confirmed stolen, according to the office.
Uresti’s office urged buyers to meet sellers at either a tax office or a full-service title company before handing over money, and they should be skeptical of prices that seem unusually low.
“I’m asking our citizens to please be vigilant when buying a vehicle from someone they don’t know, especially if the vehicle is advertised online. Our citizens work too hard for their money to lose it to these professional con-artists, who have no conscience. They use fraudulent documents and copies of fake identifications. They’ll even let you test-drive the stolen car,” Uresti said.
The office said buyers can verify some title information through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and can contact the Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office for help verifying certain details before completing a sale.