A dad and kid duo from Leicester scammed motorist out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless cars and truck insurance coverage that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary clients approximately ₤ 300 for void policies, which left drivers dealing with prospective fines and car seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his kid Amer Ilyas.

In the scam, bogus insurance coverage intermediaries will claim they can get you vehicle or home insurance as a discount.

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

Alternatively, they get a real policy with inaccurate info 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 providing forged employment letters to secure discounted 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 task of recruiting victims through social networks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rauf was connected to 52 deceitful motor insurance plan across 4 various insurers.

Ilyas Rauf's bro Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating two computers from the workplace while police robbed his nephew's home.

Four telephone call had been made between the siblings before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV electronic camera and left.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing 2 computers from the workplace while authorities robbed his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV camera and ran away

How to avoid coming down with 'ghost brokers'

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

• Avoid buying insurance plan promoted through social networks platforms and instant messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance who market their services in personal neighborhood online forums or through advertisements in public places like clubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

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

• If you're stressed about a policy you have actually acquired or the information do not look right, get in touch with the insurance provider directly - do not use the details provided by the broker.

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

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Their scam was uncovered when monetary investigators found that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 despite taking more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by police, his boy told officers he could not remember being given money by his daddy and claimed 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 moving criminal residential or commercial property and was imprisoned for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offenses and was provided 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise purchased to complete 100 hours of unsettled work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was given 18 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months, and was bought to complete 120 hours of overdue 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 average car 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 2 years back, with the typical policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 per cent less than the very first quarter of 2025.

It follows a significant increase 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 to 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking methods consist of fraudsters getting control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to reveal authentication codes.

The frauds, called 'ghost broking' are often promoted on social media, promising low-cost quotes for a cars and truck insurance coverage policy.

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

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

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a pal.

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

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

People typically utilize the exact same password across accounts, so when one is leaked numerous accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has actually introduced a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate individuals to take extra online protection by enabling two-step verification.

Victims often do not understand they have been scammed until they try to declare on their policy or if they occur to be visited cops and asked to show their insurance coverage files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually offer premium costs far less expensive than clients can find somewhere else.

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

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased a cheap automobile insurance plan on social media before understanding it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost cars and truck 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 called Aviva and they told me there wasn't a policy secured in my name and that the number we had actually 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 fraud.'
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Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they managed to fool a law enforcement officer at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your automobile's not turning up as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance files, showed her the files and she went through it and stated," That's completely fine",' he stated.
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