Motorists were on Tuesday, March 28, warned of a new scam in which suspects posing as National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officials fleeced Kenyans who were trying to access their Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS) accounts.
In a statement, the Authority highlighted the scam where the suspect notified motorists that they needed to update their serial ID numbers before accessing the TIMS account.
The con artist alleged that motorists with IDs beginning with 39, 41 and 42 would have to pay for the update because their names were missing from the system.
In addition, the suspect provided a mobile number for the motorists to send their amounts. While condemning the suspect, NTSA affirmed that the ID serial update process was free
"The Authority doesn't charge for ID serial updates. We urge members of the public conned through this number to report to the nearest police station," the statement read in part.
How to Update:
NTSA advised motorists to share their ID numbers through the authority's social media channels for assistance with the update.
The ID serial number is essential when registering one's TIMS account.
"Having trouble registering a TIMS account? Ensure you use your ID serial number and not your ID number,"
A TIMS account is essential because it offers various essential services to motorists and other road users.
Among these services include booking a driving test, applying for a provisional driving license, viewing and downloading the interim driving license online and applying for DL renewals.
Others include booking and making payments for vehicle inspection, transferring motor vehicle ownership (logbook transfers), vehicle records management and downloading registration certificates.
The news came as NTSA recently upgraded the process of renewing one's Smart Driving Licences. Upon making a renewal application, users were advised to monitor the progress by checking the service status under the Application History tab.
The driving licenses would be collected after five working days from the centre identified through the application process.
