A daddy and kid duo from Leicester scammed motorist out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless automobile insurance coverage policies that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting consumers up to ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left chauffeurs dealing with potential fines and automobile seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.

In the scam, phony insurance coverage middlemen will declare they can get you vehicle or home insurance coverage as a discount rate.

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

Alternatively, they secure a real policy with inaccurate information 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 providing forged work letters to secure reduced premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his profits with his 28-year-old child, who was provided the job of hiring victims through social networks.

The dad and child were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for scams offences

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements using '100% legitimate insurance guaranteed to beat any cost' to show chauffeurs what to keep an eye out for

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

He wrongly claimed his customers had worked for the business for numerous years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later discovered that the address Eastern Catering was signed up to was the same utilized by Rauf to sell the fake policies.

Police discovered that his son had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, frequently telling consumers that his dad would offer quotes for them the next day.

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

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

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing 2 computers from the office while police robbed his nephew's home.

Four call had been made between the siblings before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV electronic camera and got away.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating two computer systems from the office while police raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV video camera and left

How to prevent succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said customers can safeguard themselves by following the below advice:

• Stay away from acquiring insurance coverage promoted through social networks platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Be cautious of insurance brokers who market their services in personal community online forums or through advertisements in public locations like bars, coffee shops or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance brokers who request payment in cash or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will offer payment options by means of an online website.

• Avoid insurance brokers who use personal email addresses or smart phone numbers to offer policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you've purchased or the information don't look right, contact the insurance coverage provider straight - don't use the details supplied by the broker.

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

Advertisement

Their rip-off was uncovered when monetary investigators found that he e declared to have made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of filching more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance scams alone.

When questioned by authorities, his child told officers he could not remember being given cash by his dad and declared he did not know what it was for.

The 3 men 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 imprisoned for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offences and was given 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise bought to finish 100 hours of overdue work.

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

The most recent figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the price of the typical car insurance coverage in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

However, premiums remain more costly today than two years back, with the ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 per cent less than the first quarter of 2025.

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

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

Hacking methods consist of scammers gaining control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to expose authentication codes.

The rip-offs, known as 'ghost broking' are frequently marketed on social networks, appealing inexpensive quotes for a car insurance coverage.

Car insurance coverage policies have dropped over the in 2015, however are still stay historically high

The cars and truck insurance quotes that ARE too excellent to be true: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

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

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

Fraudsters can also acquire account details through phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

People frequently use the very same password across accounts, so when one is leaked numerous accounts are left vulnerable.

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

Victims typically do not understand they have actually been scammed till they try to declare on their policy or if they take place to be dropped in authorities and asked to show their insurance coverage documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually use premium prices far less expensive than clients can discover in other places.

'Remember, if something sounds too excellent to be true, it probably is.'

Young driver Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive vehicle insurance plan 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 motorist Wayne Simpson purchased a cheap car insurance plan on social media before understanding it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We contacted Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy taken out in my name which the number we had provided them was not a number they would utilize,' he informed Sky News.

'That's when the dust settles, and you understand it's been a rip-off.'
ironbridge.co.nz
Mr Simpson said the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they handled to deceive a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your automobile's not appearing as insured". Immediately I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance files, showed her the documents and she checked out through it and said," That's totally fine",' he stated.