Illegal harassment over e-toll “violations” to be halted

As reported in the Star Newspaper of today, the traffic fines management company, Fines4U (Pty) Ltd has been inundated with emails and SMS messages from TMT Services (Pty) Ltd in their capacity as tender winners for running the SANRAL “Violations Processing Centre – (VPC)” since Friday the 13th of December.

It was immediately apparent that TMT Services (Pty) Ltd had gleaned the personal particulars of Mrs Cornelia van Niekerk from a website called PayMyFines.co.za.

The Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act forbids the unauthorised use of personal electronic contact details belonging to any person and PayMyFines.co.za own terms and conditions expressly state that “We will not disclose personal information collected about you without your express consent thereto or through due legal process.”

Yesterday, Fines4U’s lawyers, Dewey Hertzberg Levy Inc. wrote to TMT Services to demand that they cease and desist with the unauthorised use of Mrs van Niekerk’s personal particulars or face court action and today received a reply from TMT Services’ lawyers giving an undertaking that TMT would indeed no longer use any of the personal information held by PayMyFines.co.za.

A further letter was sent to the lawyers for TMT Services today demanding that telephone calls from them are also ceased because they make similar use of the personal information provided to PayMyFines.co.za. In addition, the effect of these incessant phone calls are blocking her lines and making it impossible for her to do her work.

Fines4U is not the only victim of the abuses perpetrated by TMT Services, acting on behalf of SANRAL and scores of other supporters of the public, all of whom apparently also happen to be registered with PayMyFines.co.za have been complaining about being hounded.

“By stark contrast, those who are not registered with PayMyFines.co.za but have driven on the Gauteng e-toll roads have not heard a word from the VPC,” said JPSA’s Howard Dembovsky. “I know this because I am one of those who have driven on them and I have not paid – nor have my friends,” he continued.

JPSA advises that people who continue to be hounded by TMT Services should simply quote the undertaking given to Fines4U by TMT Services to cease abusing the personal information they hold since there is no logical reason why they should treat any person differently. If however the abuse continues, there is nothing to stop people banding together to institute a “class action” to have an interdict issued against TMT Services and JPSA will be happy to help the public facilitate this.

Both, TMT Services and SANRAL must stop acting like thugs, stick to the legislated requirements of sending invoices to people within 32 days after the expiry of the 7 day “grace period” and obey the laws they expect others to obey.