A dad and son duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless vehicle insurance coverage that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting customers as much as ₤ 300 for void policies, which left drivers dealing with possible fines and automobile seizures, while secretly sharing thousands of pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.

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

They might either turn over a phony policy or a real one, which they consequently 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 must 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 boy, who was given the job of recruiting victims through social networks.

The father and kid were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for scams offences

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements using '100% legit insurance coverage ensured to beat any cost' to show chauffeurs what to look out for

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

He falsely claimed his clients had actually worked for the company for several years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later discovered that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the very same utilized by Rauf to offer the phony policies.

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

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

Rauf was linked to 52 deceitful motor insurance policies throughout four various insurance companies.

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

Four telephone call had actually been made in between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV electronic camera and ran away.

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

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV cam and ran away

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

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

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

• Beware of insurance brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public locations like pubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

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

• If you're fretted about a policy you've purchased or the information do not look right, contact the insurance service provider directly - don't use the information provided by the broker.

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

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Their fraud was revealed when financial private investigators discovered that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of swiping more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance scams alone.

When questioned by cops, his son informed officers he could not keep in mind being given money by his daddy and claimed he did not know what it was for.

The 3 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 transferring criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also 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 overdue work.

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

The current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the rate of the average automobile insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

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

It follows a significant rise in social networks and email hacking reports last year, according to Action Fraud.

An overall 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 consist of scammers acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to persuade others to expose authentication codes.

The rip-offs, called 'ghost broking' are typically marketed on social networks, promising cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance policy.

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Many victims believe they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can also acquire account details by means of phishing frauds or information breaches.

People typically utilize the same password throughout accounts, so when one is dripped several accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has launched a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate individuals to take extra online security by enabling two-step confirmation.

Victims often do not understand they have been scammed up until they try to declare on their policy or if they take place to be dropped in cops and asked to show their insurance coverage documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers typically offer premium costs far less expensive than clients can discover in other places.

'Remember, if something sounds too excellent to be true, it practically certainly is.'

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost automobile insurance policy on social media before understanding it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young driver Wayne Simpson bought a cheap vehicle insurance plan 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 taken out in my name and that the number we had provided was not a number they would use,' he informed Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson stated the insurance documents looked so genuine that they handled to deceive a cops officer at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your vehicle's not appearing as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage files, revealed her the documents and she reviewed it and said," That's completely fine",' he said.