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

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting customers approximately ₤ 300 for void policies, which left chauffeurs dealing with possible fines and automobile seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

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

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

Alternatively, they get a genuine policy with incorrect information to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void must you try to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by offering forged employment letters to protect reduced 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 provided the task of hiring victims through social networks.

The father and son were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offenses
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The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements providing '100% legit insurance coverage ensured to beat any price' to show chauffeurs 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 wrongly claimed his clients had actually worked for the company for multiple years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later on found that the address Eastern Catering was signed up to was the same utilized by Rauf to sell the phony policies.

Police found that his child had likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, often informing clients that his father would supply quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was linked to 52 deceitful motor insurance coverage across 4 different insurance companies.

Ilyas Rauf's bro Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing two computers from the workplace while police raided his nephew's home.

Four telephone call had actually been made in between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV electronic camera and fled.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of 2 computers from the office while cops raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV electronic camera and left

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Stay away from purchasing insurance plan promoted through social media platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in personal neighborhood forums or through ads in public places like pubs, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance brokers who request payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment options by means of an online portal.

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

• If you're stressed over a policy you have actually acquired or the details do not look right, call the insurance service provider straight - do not utilize the details supplied 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 discovered when financial private investigators found that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of pocketing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his boy told officers he might not remember being provided money by his daddy 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 false representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and moving criminal residential or commercial property and was imprisoned for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to money laundering offences and was given 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also purchased to finish 100 hours of unpaid work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was provided 18 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered 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) reveal the rate of the typical car insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

It follows a significant increase in social media and email hacking reports in 2015, according to Action Fraud.

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

include fraudsters gaining control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to reveal authentication codes.

The scams, called 'ghost broking' are frequently promoted on social networks, promising low-cost quotes for a vehicle insurance plan.

Car insurance coverage policies have actually dropped over the in 2015, however are still stay historically high

The vehicle insurance prices estimate that ARE too good to be real: Warning over surge in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account information by means of phishing scams or information breaches.

People typically use the exact same password across accounts, so when one is dripped numerous accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has actually introduced a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take additional online protection by allowing two-step verification.

Victims typically do not understand they have been scammed up until they try to claim on their policy or if they happen to be stopped by cops and asked to reveal their insurance coverage documents.

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

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought a cheap automobile 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.

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive 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 Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy secured in my name and that the number we had provided was not a number they would utilize,' he told Sky News.

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

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

'She said," Your cars and truck's not popping up as guaranteed". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage files, revealed her the documents and she checked out through it and said," That's absolutely fine",' he said.