A father and son duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering useless vehicle insurance coverage that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting clients as much as ₤ 300 for void policies, which left drivers dealing with potential fines and vehicle seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.

In the scam, bogus insurance intermediaries will declare they can get you automobile or home insurance coverage as a discount rate.

They may either turn over a phony policy or a real one, which they consequently cancel to keep the refund on their own.

Alternatively, they take out a genuine policy with incorrect info to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void ought to you try to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by offering forged employment letters to secure affordable premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his revenues with his 28-year-old child, who was offered the task of recruiting victims through social media.

The father and child were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offences

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram ads providing '100% legit insurance coverage guaranteed to beat any cost' to reveal drivers what to keep an eye out for

An investigation discovered he utilized letters from a company called Eastern Catering to fraudulently obtain no claims discount rates.

He wrongly claimed his clients had actually worked for the company for numerous years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later on discovered that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the very same utilized by Rauf to offer the fake policies.

Police discovered that his child had likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, frequently telling clients that his daddy would supply quotes for them the next day.

Amer Ilyas would then inform victims to check out the office or send pictures of bank cards for processing of payment.

Rauf was linked to 52 fraudulent motor insurance coverage policies across 4 various insurance providers.

Ilyas Rauf's bro Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating two computer systems from the office while authorities raided his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had been made between the siblings before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV cam and ran away.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing two computer systems from the workplace while authorities raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV cam and fled

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said clients can safeguard themselves by following the below guidance:

• Stay away from purchasing insurance coverage promoted through social networks platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

• Be careful of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private community online forums or through ads in public locations like bars, coffee shops or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance coverage brokers who ask for payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will use payment options by means of an online website.

• Avoid insurance coverage brokers who utilize individual e-mail addresses or smart phone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're worried about a policy you've acquired or the information do not look right, get in touch with the insurance supplier straight - do not utilize the details supplied by the broker.

• To ensure you're dealing with an authorised insurance broker, inspect the Financial Conduct Authority's site or the British Insurance Brokers' Association websit.

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Their rip-off was uncovered when financial private investigators discovered that he e declared to have made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 despite swiping more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage scams alone.

When questioned by police, his child told officers he could not keep in mind being offered cash by his father and claimed he did not understand what it was for.

The 3 males appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, June 6.

Ilyas Rauf, 51, of Normanton Road, Highfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and moving criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to money laundering offences and was provided 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise purchased to finish 100 hours of unpaid work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was given 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was bought to finish 120 hours of unsettled work after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

The newest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the rate of the average vehicle insurance coverage in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

However, premiums remain more pricey today than 2 years earlier, with the average policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 percent less than the first quarter of 2025.

It follows a remarkable rise in social networks and email hacking reports last year, according to Action Fraud.

A total of 35,434 reports were made to the fraud and cyber criminal offense reporting service in 2024, compared with 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking approaches include fraudsters gaining control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to expose authentication codes.

The rip-offs, understood as 'ghost broking' are often promoted on social media, promising low-cost quotes for a vehicle insurance coverage.

Car insurance coverage have dropped over the last year, however are still stay historically high

The vehicle insurance prices estimate that ARE too great to be true: Warning over surge in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a buddy.

The most typical intentions for social networks hacking were financial investment scams, ticket fraud or theft, Action Fraud said.

Fraudsters can also get account details through phishing rip-offs or information breaches.

People frequently utilize the same password throughout accounts, so when one is leaked a number of accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has actually released a project, supported by Meta, to motivate individuals to take additional online security by making it possible for two-step confirmation.

Victims often don't realise they have been scammed till they attempt to claim on their policy or if they take place to be visited authorities and asked to reveal their insurance documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers normally offer premium costs far cheaper than customers can find elsewhere.

'Remember, if something sounds too great to be real, it almost certainly is.'

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive vehicle insurance policy on social networks before understanding it was phony after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost cars and truck insurance policy on social networks before understanding it was phony after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We called Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy secured in my name and that the number we had provided was not a number they would use,' he told Sky News.

'That's when the dust settles, and you realise it's been a scam.'
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Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage looked so real that they managed to deceive a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your cars and truck's not popping up as guaranteed". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, revealed her the files and she checked out it and said," That's absolutely fine",' he said.