Tax Assessor-Collector Warns Residents to Pay Attention When Buying Cars Online
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Comal County Tax Assessor-Collector Cathy Talcott warned residents on Thursday to pay attention when buying cars online.
Speaking to Commissioners Court, she said a resident who showed up at the Comal County Tax Office this week to register the title to a new truck found out he’d just paid $22,000 for a vehicle that actually belonged to a rental agency in Sugar Land, outside Houston.
The car was leased on Oct. 2, and although the rental agency was looking for it, they hadn’t reported the vehicle as stolen.
“And low and behold it turns up here at the tax office,” Talcott said.
She credited the catch to an eagle-eyed tax clerk who spotted the fraudulent title and immediately called in three Comal County Sheriff’s deputies to take a closer look.
“So I ask all of our residents in Comal County, please be very careful when you’re purchasing a vehicle online,” she said. “It’s just hard to know sometimes where that vehicle has actually come from.”
Comal County’s tax office collects property taxes and manages vehicle license and registration.
The tax office is closed for training on Monday, Columbus Day.
“It’s typically a very slow day for our office because most people think we are closed for the holiday,” she said.
Her office also is preparing to send out tax statements to property owners over the next several weeks.
