A father and son duo from Leicester scammed chauffeur out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering worthless vehicle insurance coverage that left dozens uninsured.
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Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting customers as much as ₤ 300 for void policies, which left drivers facing potential fines and vehicle seizures, while secretly sharing thousands of pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

In the scam, fake insurance intermediaries will declare they can get you cars and truck or home insurance as a discount rate.

They may 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 genuine policy with incorrect information to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void must you attempt to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by offering forged employment letters to protect 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 child, who was offered the task of hiring victims through social media.

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

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements offering '100% legitimate insurance guaranteed to beat any rate' to show chauffeurs what to watch out for

An investigation discovered he utilized letters from a business called Eastern Catering to fraudulently obtain 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 found that the address Eastern Catering was signed up to was the exact same utilized by Rauf to offer the phony policies.

Police found that his boy had also messaged 31 contacts about insurance on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, frequently telling customers that his dad would offer quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was linked to 52 fraudulent motor insurance coverage throughout 4 various insurers.

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating two computer systems from the office while police raided his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had actually been made between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV electronic camera and fled.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV getting rid of two computer systems from the workplace while authorities raided his nephew's home.

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

How to prevent coming down with 'ghost brokers'

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

• Avoid acquiring insurance policies promoted through social media platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance who market their services in private neighborhood online forums or through advertisements in public places like pubs, cafes or newsagents.

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

• Avoid insurance coverage brokers who utilize individual e-mail addresses or mobile phone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you've bought or the details do not look right, contact the insurance service provider straight - do not utilize the details offered by the broker.

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

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Their rip-off was uncovered when financial private investigators discovered that he e claimed to have actually made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of filching more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance fraud alone.

When questioned by police, his kid informed officers he could not keep in mind being provided cash 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 jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to money laundering offenses and was given 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise ordered to complete 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 unsettled work after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

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

However, premiums stay more pricey today than 2 years back, with the average policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 percent less than the very first quarter of 2025.

It follows a remarkable increase 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 criminal offense reporting service in 2024, compared to 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking techniques include fraudsters 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 media, appealing cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance policy.

Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the in 2015, however are still remain historically high

The car insurance coverage prices estimate that ARE too excellent to be real: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can likewise gain account details by means of phishing scams or data breaches.

People often utilize the very same password across accounts, so when one is leaked several accounts are left susceptible.

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

Victims typically do not understand they have actually been scammed until they try to claim on their policy or if they happen to be visited police and asked to reveal their insurance coverage files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers normally provide premium prices far more affordable than customers can find elsewhere.

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive car insurance plan 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 driver Wayne Simpson bought a low-cost cars and truck insurance coverage 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

'We called up Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy taken out in my name which the number we had actually offered them was not a number they would utilize,' he told Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson said the insurance coverage files looked so real that they managed to deceive 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, showed her the files and she checked out it and said," That's absolutely great",' he stated.