A father and child duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering worthless car insurance policies that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary clients approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left drivers facing possible fines and lorry seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

In the rip-off, bogus insurance intermediaries will declare they can get you vehicle or home insurance coverage as a discount.

They may either turn over a phony policy or a genuine one, which they subsequently cancel to keep the refund for themselves.

Alternatively, they get a real policy with inaccurate information to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void should you try to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by supplying created work letters to secure discounted premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his earnings with his 28-year-old son, who was offered the job of hiring victims through social media.

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

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements providing '100% legit insurance coverage ensured to beat any cost' to show drivers what to look out for

An investigation found he used letters from a company called Eastern Catering to fraudulently get no claims discounts.

He incorrectly claimed his clients had worked for the business for multiple years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later on discovered that the address Eastern Catering was signed up 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, typically telling clients that his father would offer quotes for them the next day.

Amer Ilyas would then tell victims to visit the workplace or send images of bank cards for processing of payment.

Rauf was connected to 52 deceptive motor insurance coverage policies throughout 4 various insurance providers.

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating 2 computer systems from the office while authorities raided his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had been made in between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV video camera and got away.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of 2 computer systems from the office while cops raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV cam and fled

How to avoid falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, stated consumers can secure themselves by following the below guidance:

• Steer clear of purchasing insurance coverage promoted through social media platforms and instant messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public locations like bars, coffee shops or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance coverage brokers who request payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment choices through an online website.

• Avoid insurance brokers who utilize personal e-mail addresses or mobile phone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you've acquired or the information do not look right, contact the insurance provider directly - don't utilize the information supplied by the broker.

• To guarantee you're handling an authorised insurance broker, check the Financial Conduct Authority's website or the British Insurance Brokers' Association websit.

Advertisement

Their scam was revealed when monetary detectives discovered that he e declared to have actually earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of stealing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by police, his boy informed officers he could not keep in mind being offered cash by his dad and claimed he did not know 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 scams by false representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and transferring criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

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

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

The most recent figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the cost of the average automobile insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

However, premiums stay more expensive today than two years ago, with the average policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 per cent less than the first quarter of 2025.

It follows a significant rise in social networks and email hacking reports in 2015, according to Action Fraud.

An overall of 35,434 reports were made to the fraud and cyber criminal activity reporting service in 2024, compared to 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking methods include scammers gaining control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to reveal authentication codes.

The rip-offs, understood as 'ghost broking' are often advertised on social networks, appealing cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance coverage policy.

Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the last year, but are still stay historically high

The vehicle insurance estimates that ARE too excellent to be real: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a good friend.

The most common intentions for social media hacking were financial investment scams, ticket fraud or theft, Action Fraud stated.

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account information by means of phishing rip-offs or information breaches.

People frequently use the exact same password throughout accounts, so when one is dripped a number of accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has released a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take extra online defense by enabling two-step confirmation.

Victims frequently do not understand they have actually been scammed up until they attempt to claim on their policy or if they occur to be visited authorities and asked to reveal their insurance coverage files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually use premium rates far more affordable than customers can find in other places.

'Remember, if something sounds too excellent to be real, it likely is.'

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson purchased a cheap cars and truck insurance policy on social networks before realising it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

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

'That's when the dust settles, and you understand it's been a fraud.'

Mr Simpson stated the insurance documents looked so real that they managed to fool a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your car's not popping up as guaranteed". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, showed her the documents and she checked out through it and said," That's totally great",' he stated.