A dad and child duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling useless automobile insurance policies that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting consumers approximately ₤ 300 for void policies, which left chauffeurs facing potential fines and lorry seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

In the fraud, phony insurance middlemen will claim they can get you cars and truck or home insurance coverage as a discount.

They may either hand over a fake policy or an authentic one, which they consequently cancel to keep the refund for themselves.

Alternatively, they take out a real policy with inaccurate details 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 offering forged work 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 son, who was given the task of recruiting victims through social media.

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

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements providing '100% legit insurance ensured to beat any rate' to show motorists what to keep an eye out for

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

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

It was later on found that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the very same used by Rauf to offer the phony policies.

Police discovered that his child had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, typically telling clients that his father would provide quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was linked to 52 deceitful motor insurance coverage policies throughout 4 different insurers.

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing two computers from the workplace while cops raided his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had actually been made in between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV cam and got away.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating 2 computer systems from the workplace while cops robbed his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV electronic camera and got away

How to prevent falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Avoid purchasing insurance coverage promoted through social media platforms and instant messaging apps.

• Be mindful of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through ads in public places like pubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

• Don't engage with brokers who ask for payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will use payment options through an online portal.

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

• If you're stressed over a policy you have actually bought or the information do not look right, call the insurance coverage company straight - do not use the details provided by the broker.

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

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Their scam was revealed when monetary investigators found that he e declared to have actually earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of swiping more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his child told officers he might not remember being given cash by his daddy and declared he did not know what it was for.

The three men appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, June 6.

Ilyas Rauf, 51, of Normanton Road, Highfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty to fraud by incorrect representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and transferring 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 offered 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise ordered to finish 100 hours of overdue work.

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

The current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show the price of the typical automobile insurance coverage in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

However, premiums remain more expensive 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 increase in social media and email hacking reports in 2015, according to Action Fraud.

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

Hacking techniques consist of scammers acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to reveal authentication codes.

The scams, referred to as 'ghost broking' are often marketed on social networks, appealing cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance plan.

Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the last year, however are still remain historically high

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

Many victims think they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can likewise gain account details via phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

People frequently utilize the same password across accounts, so when one is leaked numerous accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has launched a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take additional online security by allowing two-step confirmation.

Victims typically do not realise they have actually been scammed until they attempt to claim on their policy or if they take place to be stopped by authorities and asked to show their insurance files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers normally provide premium prices far less expensive than consumers can find in other places.

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought a cheap vehicle insurance plan on social networks before realising it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought a cheap cars and truck insurance policy on social media before realising it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

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

'That's when the dust settles, and you understand it's been a rip-off.'

Mr Simpson said the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they managed to fool a law enforcement officer at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your cars and truck's not popping up as guaranteed". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, revealed her the documents and she read through it and stated," That's absolutely great",' he stated.
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