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

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary consumers approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left motorists dealing with potential fines and lorry seizures, while secretly sharing thousands of pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

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

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

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

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by providing created work letters to protect 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 offered the job of hiring victims through social networks.

The daddy and kid were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offences

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rauf was connected to 52 deceitful motor insurance coverage policies across four various insurers.

Ilyas Rauf's bro Ziaed was captured on CCTV getting rid of two computers from the office while cops robbed his nephew's home.

Four telephone call had actually been made in between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV cam and left.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing 2 computer systems from the office while cops raided his nephew's home.

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

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Steer clear of purchasing insurance coverage promoted through social networks platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private community online forums or through advertisements in public places like clubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

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

• If you're stressed over a policy you've bought or the details do not look right, call the insurance provider directly - do not use the information offered by the broker.

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

Advertisement

Their scam was revealed when monetary private investigators discovered that he e claimed to have actually made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of taking more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage scams alone.

When questioned by authorities, his kid told officers he might not remember being provided cash by his dad and claimed 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 fraud 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, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to money laundering offences and was offered 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also bought to complete 100 hours of unpaid 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 unsettled work after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

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

However, premiums remain more expensive today than 2 years earlier, with the typical policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 percent less than the very first quarter of 2025.

It follows a remarkable increase in social media and email hacking reports last year, according to Action Fraud.

A total of 35,434 reports were made to the scams and cyber crime reporting service in 2024, compared to 22,530 in 2023.

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

The scams, called 'ghost broking' are frequently marketed on social media, promising cheap quotes for a cars and truck insurance plan.

Car insurance coverage policies have dropped over the last year, however are still stay traditionally high

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

Many victims think they are being messaged by a good friend.

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

Fraudsters can likewise gain account details via phishing frauds or information breaches.

People frequently utilize the very same password across accounts, so when one is leaked a number of accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has released a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate people to take additional online defense by enabling two-step confirmation.

Victims frequently do not realise they have been scammed till they try to claim on their policy or if they occur to be come by authorities and asked to reveal their insurance coverage documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers generally offer premium costs far cheaper than consumers can discover elsewhere.

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought a low-cost car insurance coverage on social media before realising it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive automobile insurance policy 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 phoned Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy taken out in my name and that the number we had actually offered them was not a number they would use,' he told Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson stated the insurance documents looked so genuine that they handled to trick a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your cars and truck's not turning up as guaranteed". Immediately I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage documents, revealed her the files and she reviewed it and said," That's completely fine",' he said.