Tel Aviv Municipality fines: drivers discover penalties only after bank accounts are seized
Scooter riders report discovering fines only after interest has accrued and enforcement measures, such as bank account seizures, have been taken. Victims complain about a lack of initial notification and unanswered appeals. The municipality states it follows legal procedures and sends notices to official addresses.
Scooter riders, accused by the Tel Aviv Municipality of riding without a helmet, often discover their fines only after they have accrued significant interest, leading to the seizure of their bank accounts. According to some affected individuals, the fines continued to accumulate interest even after they filed appeals, which remained unanswered.
"I rushed to pay the full amount as I had no choice. It feels like a systematic method," said city resident Avishag Kahlani. She became aware of the fine nine months after the incident, upon receiving a warning of enforcement measures with over 300 shekels in accrued interest. Despite filing an appeal the same day, she received no response before her bank account was seized.
Noa, a non-resident of the city, faced a similar situation. She never received an initial notification and only discovered the fine after interest had accrued. "When they want to reach you, they know how to seize your account, but they fail to inform you about the fine in the first place," she noted.
Noam Lefler claims he discovered his fine by accident while using the 'Digitel' platform. "I have been in contact with the municipality for years, yet they choose to send mail that somehow never reaches its destination. My appeal, filed due to a lack of evidence regarding the alleged helmet violation, did not stop the interest from accruing," he explained.
In response, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality stated:
"The municipality acts in accordance with the law, sending fines to official addresses from the population registry. We inform customers via SMS if the number is known and initiate contact with those holding multiple fines. Photos are not attached automatically but are provided upon request to the call center. All inquiries are handled in the standard manner, with payment demands frozen during the process. We emphasize that riders must comply with the law, and violators have the right to appeal and appear in court."
