A daddy and boy duo from Leicester scammed motorist out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering worthless vehicle insurance coverage that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged up to ₤ 300 for void policies, which left drivers facing prospective fines and vehicle seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his child Amer Ilyas.

In the fraud, phony insurance coverage intermediaries will claim they can get you car or home insurance as a discount.

They might either hand over a phony 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 must you try 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 profits with his 28-year-old child, who was provided the task of recruiting victims through social media.

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

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements using '100% legit insurance guaranteed to beat any price' to reveal drivers what to look out for

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

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

It was later discovered that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the same used by Rauf to sell the fake policies.

Police discovered that his boy had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, frequently telling clients that his daddy would offer quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was connected to 52 fraudulent motor insurance coverage across four different insurance providers.

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of two computer systems from the office while police raided his nephew's home.

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

Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing 2 computers from the office while cops robbed his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV camera and got away

How to avoid coming down with 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, stated customers can secure themselves by following the below advice:

• Steer clear of acquiring insurance coverage promoted through social media platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Be cautious of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public locations 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 by means of an online portal.

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

• If you're stressed over a policy you have actually acquired or the information do not look right, call the insurance coverage company straight - don't use the details offered by the broker.

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

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Their rip-off was revealed when monetary investigators found that he e declared 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 son informed officers he could not remember being provided cash by his father and claimed he did not know what it was for.

The 3 males 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 jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offences and was provided 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also bought to complete 100 hours of unsettled work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was given 18 weeks jail time, 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) show the cost of the typical vehicle insurance policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

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

An overall of 35,434 reports were made to the scams and cyber criminal offense reporting service in 2024, compared to 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking techniques include scammers getting control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to reveal authentication codes.

The frauds, understood as 'ghost broking' are typically marketed on social networks, promising inexpensive quotes for a cars and truck insurance plan.

Car insurance coverage have actually dropped over the last year, however are still stay historically high

The automobile insurance quotes that ARE too excellent to be true: Warning over surge in 'ghost brokers'

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

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

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account information via phishing frauds or data breaches.

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

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

Victims often do not understand they have actually been scammed till they attempt to claim on their policy or if they occur to be dropped in cops and asked to reveal their insurance documents.

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

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

Young driver Wayne Simpson bought a low-cost cars and truck insurance coverage policy on social media before realising it was phony after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost cars and truck insurance coverage on social networks before understanding it was phony after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We contacted Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy secured in my name and that 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 stated the insurance coverage documents looked so genuine that they handled to trick a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your car's not popping up as insured". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage files, revealed her the documents and she checked out it and said," That's absolutely fine",' he stated.