New Ministry of Transport Digital Service Protects Vehicles from Fraudulent Ownership Transfer
The Ministry of Transport has launched a digital service allowing vehicle owners to pre-block ownership transfers at Israel Post branches to protect against identity theft and document forgery.
The Ministry of Transport and Road Safety launched a new digital service this morning (Tuesday) that allows every vehicle owner to pre-block the possibility of transferring ownership of their vehicle at Israel Post branches. In the first few hours of its operation alone, hundreds of vehicle owners joined the service and activated the block.
The move is intended to provide a response to the recent increase in attempts to carry out ownership transfers through identity theft and forged documents. The Ministry of Transport's Security Division has identified dozens of cases where ownership transfer was apparently carried out fraudulently, and at the same time, there has been an increase in the number of legal proceedings opened on the subject compared to previous years.
How the license scam works and how to protect yourself
One of the common fraud methods begins with posting a vehicle for sale on second-hand websites. The impostors contact the seller and ask for a photo of the vehicle license, under the pretext that they want to check the cost of insurance or financing. Using the license details and forged documents, they try to carry out an ownership transfer at the post office without the owner's knowledge. Against this background, the Ministry of Transport calls on the public not to provide a photo of the vehicle license, ID card, or identification documents to a person whose identity is not known and verified.
To protect yourself, you must enter the dedicated service in the government personal area, select the vehicle, and activate the block. From the moment the block is activated, it will not be possible to transfer ownership at a post office branch, unless the vehicle owner removes it themselves in the personal area. The action is performed quickly and without the need to go to the licensing office or the post office branch, and the Ministry of Transport recommends leaving the block active as long as there is no need for a post office ownership transfer.
In the first stage, the service is available for a private vehicle registered to one owner, and is not available for a vehicle registered as stolen or for dismantling. Later, the service will be expanded to vehicles registered to two owners and to vehicles owned by a company.
The safe way: online ownership transfer
The Ministry of Transport emphasizes that the block does not prevent the vehicle owner from selling their vehicle using the online ownership transfer service in the government personal area. The online service is considered the preferred and safest way: the seller and buyer identify themselves using the national identification system and confirm the transaction directly with the licensing system, without dependence on physical documents that can be forged.
The online service was developed with a government information security envelope, passed penetration tests, and allows the operation to be completed within minutes on a mobile phone or computer. This year, about 61% of all ownership transfers in Israel were carried out through it, compared to 42% in 2024.
Minister of Transport and Road Safety Miri Regev stated:
"We are giving every vehicle owner a simple and effective tool that will allow them to protect one of the most important and expensive assets they own and prevent ownership transfer at the post office without their knowledge. Hundreds of vehicle owners have already joined the service in the first hours, and this is a clear expression of the public's need for effective protection against fraud."
Director General of the Ministry of Transport, Moshe Ben Zaken, concluded: "Starting today, the citizens of Israel have an available means at their disposal to protect their vehicle from fraudulent ownership transfer. The service is activated easily and quickly from any phone or computer and allows stopping the fraud before it even begins. I recommend everyone to perform all vehicle licensing actions through the personal area - it is easy, simple, and above all, safe."
