A father and boy duo from Leicester scammed motorist out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering useless automobile insurance coverage that left dozens uninsured.
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Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting consumers as much as ₤ 300 for void policies, which left motorists dealing with potential fines and lorry seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his kid Amer Ilyas.
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In the rip-off, fake insurance coverage middlemen will claim they can get you vehicle or home insurance coverage as a discount.

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

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

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by supplying created work letters to secure reduced premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his profits with his 28-year-old boy, who was given the task of hiring victims through social networks.

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

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements providing '100% legitimate insurance coverage ensured to beat any price' to reveal chauffeurs what to watch out for

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

He falsely claimed his customers had worked for the business for numerous years without crashes or insurance coverage claims.

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

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

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

Rauf was linked to 52 fraudulent motor insurance coverage policies across four various insurers.

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of 2 computers from the workplace while police robbed his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had actually been made in between the siblings before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV electronic camera and ran away.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV getting rid of 2 computers from the office while police robbed his nephew's home.

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

How to prevent succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said consumers can safeguard themselves by following the below advice:

• Stay away from acquiring insurance coverage promoted through social networks platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

• Be mindful of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private community forums or through ads in public places like clubs, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance coverage brokers who ask for payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will offer payment choices through an online portal.

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

• If you're worried about a policy you have actually acquired or the information don't look right, call the insurance coverage provider directly - do not use the details supplied by the broker.

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

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

When questioned by authorities, his son informed officers he might not keep in mind being offered cash by his father and declared he did not know what it was for.

The three males 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 imprisoned for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also 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 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 overdue work after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

The most recent figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the price of the average car insurance coverage policy 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 typical policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 per cent less than the first quarter of 2025.

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

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

Hacking techniques include scammers gaining control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to expose authentication codes.

The frauds, called 'ghost broking' are often advertised on social networks, appealing low-cost quotes for a vehicle insurance coverage.

Car insurance coverage have dropped over the last year, but are still remain traditionally high

The automobile insurance coverage prices quote that ARE too good to be real: Warning over surge in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a friend.

The most typical motives for social networks hacking were investment fraud, ticket scams or theft, Action Fraud said.

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account details by means of phishing rip-offs or information breaches.

People frequently use the exact same password across accounts, so when one is dripped several accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has launched a project, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take additional online defense by allowing two-step confirmation.

Victims often do not understand they have actually been scammed till they attempt to declare on their policy or if they occur to be visited police and asked to show their insurance coverage documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually use premium rates far less expensive than customers can find elsewhere.

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought a low-cost vehicle insurance coverage on social media before realising it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive vehicle insurance coverage 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 contacted Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy gotten in my name which the number we had actually given them was not a number they would utilize,' he told Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they managed to deceive a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your automobile's not turning up as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage documents, showed her the documents and she read through it and said," That's completely fine",' he stated.