A father and child duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering useless automobile insurance coverage policies that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary clients up to ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left drivers dealing with possible fines and automobile seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.

In the rip-off, fake insurance coverage intermediaries will declare 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 get a genuine policy with incorrect information to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void need to you attempt to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by offering created employment 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 given the task of recruiting victims through social networks.

The daddy and child were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for scams offenses

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

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

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

It was later on discovered that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the exact same utilized by Rauf to sell the fake policies.

Police found that his son had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, typically informing customers that his father would offer quotes for them the next day.

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

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

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

Four call had actually been made between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV cam and got away.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV getting rid of 2 computer systems from the workplace while police robbed his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV camera and ran away

How to prevent falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said clients can secure themselves by following the below advice:

• Steer clear of buying insurance coverage policies promoted through social networks platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

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

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

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

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

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

When questioned by cops, his boy told officers he could not remember being provided money by his father and declared he did not understand what it was for.

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

Ilyas Rauf, 51, of Normanton Road, Highfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty to scams 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 jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to finish 100 hours of overdue work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was given 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was bought to complete 120 hours of overdue work after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show the cost of the typical car insurance policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent 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 percent less than the very first quarter of 2025.

It follows a remarkable 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 crime reporting service in 2024, compared with 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking approaches consist of scammers getting control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to expose authentication codes.

The scams, called 'ghost broking' are typically advertised on social media, promising inexpensive quotes for a vehicle insurance coverage policy.

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

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

Many victims think they are being messaged by a buddy.

The most typical intentions for social media hacking were investment fraud, ticket fraud or theft, Action Fraud said.

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

People typically utilize the same password across accounts, so when one is dripped a number of accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has actually released a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate individuals to take extra online defense by allowing two-step verification.

Victims frequently do not realise they have been scammed till they attempt to claim on their policy or if they take place to be stopped by police and asked to reveal their insurance files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually provide premium rates far cheaper than customers can find somewhere else.

'Remember, if something sounds too great to be true, it likely is.'

Young motorist Wayne Simpson bought a low-cost automobile insurance coverage 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 driver Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive vehicle insurance coverage on social networks before understanding it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We phoned 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 told Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage files looked so genuine that they managed to fool an authorities officer at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your car's not popping up as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage documents, showed her the files and she read through it and stated," That's absolutely great",' he stated.