Israel Launches New Digital Service to Prevent Unauthorized Vehicle Ownership Transfers

The Israeli Ministry of Transport and Road Safety has introduced a new digital service aimed at preventing fraudulent vehicle ownership transfers. This service allows private vehicle owners to preemptively block ownership transfers conducted through Israel Post branches. The initiative responds to a rise in scams where criminals request photos of vehicle registration documents under false pretenses, then use the information to attempt unauthorized ownership transfers with forged documents.

To activate the protection, vehicle owners must log into the government personal area, select their vehicle, and enable the ownership transfer block for postal branches. Once activated, ownership transfers cannot be completed at post offices unless the owner removes the block themselves. The ministry recommends keeping this block active permanently and only disabling it when a legitimate sale occurs.

This new service does not affect online ownership transfers, which require secure government authentication by both buyer and seller. Initially, the service is available for privately owned vehicles registered to a single owner, with plans to extend it to vehicles with multiple owners and company-registered vehicles. The Ministry also advises the public to avoid sharing photos of vehicle registrations, ID cards, or personal documents with unknown or unverified parties to reduce fraud risks.