A dad and child duo from Leicester scammed chauffeur out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering useless car insurance policies that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting customers approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left drivers dealing with potential fines and automobile seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his kid Amer Ilyas.

In the fraud, bogus insurance coverage middlemen will claim they can get you car or home insurance as a discount.

They might either turn over a phony policy or an authentic one, which they subsequently cancel to keep the refund on their own.

Alternatively, they secure a real policy with incorrect details to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void ought to you attempt to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by supplying created employment letters to protect reduced premiums for his victims.

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

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

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram ads using '100% legit insurance guaranteed to beat any rate' to reveal motorists what to look out for

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

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

It was later discovered that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the very same used by Rauf to sell the phony policies.

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

Amer Ilyas would then tell victims to go to the office or send pictures of bank cards for processing of payment.

Rauf was connected to 52 deceptive motor insurance coverage throughout four various insurance companies.

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing 2 computers from the workplace while cops raided his nephew's home.

Four call had actually been made between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV electronic camera and left.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating 2 computers from the office while police raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV cam and left

How to prevent falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Steer clear of acquiring insurance coverage policies promoted through social media platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance brokers who market their services in personal neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public locations like bars, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance brokers who ask for payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will offer payment alternatives via an online website.

• Avoid insurance coverage brokers who use personal e-mail addresses or mobile phone numbers to offer policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you've purchased or the information do not look right, call the insurance supplier straight - do not utilize the information by the broker.

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

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Their rip-off was discovered when financial detectives found that he e declared to have made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of stealing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by authorities, his boy told officers he could not keep in mind being offered money by his dad and declared he did not know what it was for.

The three 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 imprisoned for 21 months.

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

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was offered 18 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered 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) show the price of the typical cars and truck insurance coverage policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

It follows a dramatic 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 activity reporting service in 2024, compared to 22,530 in 2023.

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

The scams, understood as 'ghost broking' are frequently marketed on social networks, appealing inexpensive quotes for an automobile insurance plan.

Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the in 2015, however are still remain traditionally high

The car insurance coverage prices quote that ARE too great to be real: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a pal.

The most common motives for social networks hacking were investment fraud, ticket fraud or theft, Action Fraud stated.

Fraudsters can also acquire account information via phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

People typically use the very same password throughout accounts, so when one is dripped numerous accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has introduced a project, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take extra online security by making it possible for two-step verification.

Victims frequently do not realise they have actually been scammed till they attempt to claim on their policy or if they take place to be dropped in police and asked to show their insurance files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers generally provide premium prices far less expensive than customers can find elsewhere.

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive car insurance policy on social networks before realising 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 coverage policy on social media 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 taken out in my name which the number we had actually provided was not a number they would use,' he informed Sky News.

'That's when the dust settles, and you realise it's been a scam.'

Mr Simpson said the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they handled to trick a police officer at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your vehicle's not appearing as guaranteed". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, showed her the documents and she read through it and said," That's completely fine",' he stated.
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