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A dad and kid duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling useless car insurance coverage policies that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary customers approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left chauffeurs dealing with possible fines and vehicle seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his child Amer Ilyas.

In the rip-off, bogus insurance coverage intermediaries will claim they can get you car or home insurance as a discount.

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

Alternatively, they get a real policy with inaccurate information 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 created employment letters to secure affordable 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 provided the job of hiring victims through social networks.

The dad and son were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offenses

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements using '100% legit insurance coverage guaranteed to beat any price' to show drivers what to watch out for

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

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

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

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

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

Rauf was linked to 52 fraudulent motor insurance plan across four different insurance providers.

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating two computers from the office while authorities robbed his nephew's home.

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

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

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

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, stated customers can protect themselves by following the below advice:

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

• Be mindful of insurance brokers who market their services in personal community online forums or through ads in public places like pubs, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance coverage brokers who request payment in cash or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment alternatives via an online portal.

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

• If you're stressed about a policy you've bought or the details don't look right, call the insurance company straight - do not utilize the details supplied by the broker.

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

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Their fraud was revealed when monetary private investigators found that he e declared to have made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 despite pocketing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his kid informed officers he might not remember being offered cash by his father 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 jailed 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 overdue work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was provided 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete 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 rate of the typical cars and truck insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

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

It follows a significant rise in social media and email hacking reports in 2015, 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 approaches include 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 inexpensive quotes for a car insurance coverage.

Car insurance policies have dropped over the in 2015, but are still remain traditionally high

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

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a friend.

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

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

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

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

Victims often do not understand they have been scammed until they try to declare on their policy or if they take place to be dropped in cops and asked to reveal their insurance coverage documents.
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Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers generally use premium prices far cheaper than customers can find in other places.

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive car insurance 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.

Young motorist Wayne Simpson bought a cheap car insurance coverage on social networks before realising it was phony after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

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

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

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

'She said," Your automobile's not turning up as insured". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, revealed her the files and she reviewed it and said," That's completely fine",' he said.