A dad and child duo from Leicester scammed motorist out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering useless cars and truck insurance plan that left lots uninsured.

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

In the rip-off, fake insurance intermediaries will declare they can get you vehicle or home insurance as a discount rate.

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

Alternatively, they take out a real policy with incorrect 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 supplying forged employment letters to secure affordable premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his revenues with his 28-year-old kid, who was given the job of recruiting victims through social networks.

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

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram ads providing '100% legit insurance ensured to beat any price' to show motorists what to keep an eye out for

An examination discovered he utilized letters from a business called Eastern Catering to fraudulently obtain no claims discount rates.

He falsely declared his customers had worked for the company for multiple years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later found that the address Eastern Catering was signed up to was the same utilized by Rauf to offer the fake policies.

Police discovered that his child had actually also messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, often telling consumers that his father would provide quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was connected to 52 deceptive motor insurance plan throughout four different insurance companies.

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating two computer systems from the workplace while authorities raided his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had actually been made in between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV electronic camera and got away.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating 2 computers from the workplace while authorities raided his nephew's home.

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

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said customers can secure themselves by following the below suggestions:

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

• Beware of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in personal neighborhood online forums or through ads in public places like pubs, 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 by means of an online portal.

• Avoid insurance brokers who use individual email addresses or cellphone numbers to offer policies.

• If you're stressed about a policy you have actually bought or the information do not look right, get in touch with the insurance coverage service provider directly - don't utilize the information offered by the broker.

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

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Their rip-off was revealed when financial detectives found that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of swiping more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by authorities, his son informed officers he could not remember being offered money by his father and declared he did not understand 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 scams 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 cash laundering offences and was offered 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was also purchased to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was offered 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 current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show the price of the typical cars and truck insurance coverage policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

However, premiums remain more costly today than two 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 dramatic rise in social networks 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 with 22,530 in 2023.

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

The frauds, called 'ghost broking' are typically marketed on social networks, appealing low-cost quotes for a cars and truck insurance plan.

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

The car insurance coverage quotes that ARE too great to be true: 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 scams, ticket fraud or theft, Action Fraud said.

Fraudsters can likewise gain account details through phishing scams or data breaches.

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

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

Victims frequently don't understand they have actually been scammed till they try to declare on their policy or if they occur to be come by authorities and asked to show their insurance documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers typically use premium prices far less expensive than clients can find elsewhere.

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost cars and truck insurance policy on social media before realising it was phony after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive cars and truck 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

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

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

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

'She stated," Your automobile's not appearing as insured". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage documents, showed her the files and she went through it and said," That's absolutely fine",' he said.