reference.com
A father and boy duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering worthless vehicle insurance policies that left lots uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary clients up to ₤ 300 for void policies, which left motorists facing possible fines and car seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his kid Amer Ilyas.

In the scam, fake insurance middlemen will declare they can get you automobile or home insurance as a discount rate.

They might either hand over a fake policy or an authentic one, which they subsequently cancel to keep the refund on their own.

Alternatively, they get a genuine 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 providing created 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 son, who was given the job of hiring victims through social media.

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

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

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

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

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

Police found that his son had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, often telling consumers that his daddy would supply quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was linked to 52 deceitful motor insurance coverage across four various insurance companies.

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

Four telephone call had been made between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV cam and ran away.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing 2 computer systems from the workplace while authorities robbed his nephew's home.

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

How to prevent coming down with '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 instant messaging apps.

• Be cautious of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public places like bars, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance brokers who request payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment alternatives via an online website.

• Avoid insurance coverage brokers who utilize individual email addresses or smart phone numbers to .

• If you're stressed about a policy you've acquired or the details don't look right, contact the insurance provider straight - do not use the information offered by the broker.

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

Advertisement

Their rip-off was discovered when monetary detectives found 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 coverage fraud alone.

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

The three guys 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 moving criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offenses and was given 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also bought to finish 100 hours of overdue work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was provided 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to finish 120 hours of unsettled 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 coverage in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

However, premiums remain more costly 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 dramatic increase in social media and email hacking reports last year, according to Action Fraud.

A total 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 consist of scammers acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to reveal authentication codes.

The frauds, known as 'ghost broking' are frequently promoted on social networks, promising low-cost quotes for an automobile insurance coverage.

Car insurance plan have dropped over the last year, however are still stay traditionally high

The cars and truck insurance estimates that ARE too great to be true: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

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

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

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

People typically utilize the exact same password throughout 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 people to take extra online security by allowing two-step confirmation.

Victims typically don't understand they have actually been scammed until they attempt to claim on their policy or if they happen to be visited police and asked to show their insurance coverage documents.

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

'Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it nearly certainly is.'

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost car 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.

Young motorist Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive vehicle insurance plan on social media before realising it was phony after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We phoned Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy gotten in my name which the number we had actually offered them was not a number they would use,' he told Sky News.

'That's when the dust settles, and you realise it's been a scam.'
life123.com
Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they managed to deceive a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your car's not popping up as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, revealed her the documents and she reviewed it and said," That's totally great",' he said.