askmoney.com
A dad and son duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless cars and truck insurance policies that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary clients approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left chauffeurs facing prospective fines and automobile seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his kid Amer Ilyas.

In the fraud, fake insurance coverage intermediaries will declare they can get you car or home insurance as a discount rate.

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

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

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by supplying forged work 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 kid, who was given the job of recruiting victims through social networks.

The father and boy were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offenses

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram ads using '100% legit insurance coverage ensured to beat any cost' to reveal motorists what to watch out for

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

He incorrectly declared his clients had actually worked for the business for several years without crashes or insurance coverage claims.

It was later found that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the very same utilized by Rauf to sell the fake policies.

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

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

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

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of two computer systems from the workplace while cops robbed his nephew's home.

Four telephone call had been made in between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV video camera and got away.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing two computer systems from the office while cops raided his nephew's home.

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

How to prevent coming down with 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, stated customers can safeguard themselves by following the below guidance:

• Avoid acquiring insurance coverage policies promoted through social networks platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

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

• Don't engage with insurance coverage brokers who request payment in cash or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will offer payment alternatives through an online portal.

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

• If you're fretted about a policy you have actually bought or the details don't look right, get in touch with the insurance provider directly - don't use the details supplied by the broker.

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

Advertisement

Their fraud was revealed when monetary investigators discovered that he e claimed to have actually earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of stealing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance scams alone.

When questioned by authorities, his child told officers he might not remember being provided money by his dad and claimed he did not know what it was for.

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

Amer Ilyas, 28, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to money laundering offenses and was provided 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise bought 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 finish 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) show the rate of the average car insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

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

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

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

The rip-offs, referred to as 'ghost broking' are frequently marketed on social media, promising low-cost quotes for a cars and truck insurance coverage policy.

Car insurance plan have dropped over the in 2015, however are still stay traditionally high

The cars and truck insurance prices quote that ARE too good to be true: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a friend.

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

Fraudsters can also gain account information via phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

People frequently utilize the exact same password across accounts, so when one is dripped a number of accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has released a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take additional online security by allowing two-step confirmation.

Victims frequently do not realise they have been scammed until they attempt to declare on their policy or if they take place to be come by police and asked to reveal their insurance files.

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

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson bought a cheap automobile insurance coverage policy on social networks before realising it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young driver Wayne Simpson bought a cheap automobile insurance coverage on social media before understanding it was phony after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We called Aviva and they told me there wasn't a policy taken out in my name which 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 realise it's been a fraud.'

Mr Simpson said the insurance files looked so genuine that they handled to deceive 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 documents, revealed her the documents and she reviewed it and stated," That's totally great",' he stated.