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A dad and child duo from Leicester scammed chauffeur out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering worthless vehicle insurance policies that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary consumers approximately ₤ 300 for void policies, which left drivers dealing with and lorry seizures, while secretly sharing thousands of pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.
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In the rip-off, phony insurance coverage intermediaries will declare they can get you vehicle or home insurance as a discount rate.

They may either turn over a phony policy or a real one, which they consequently cancel to keep the refund on their own.

Alternatively, they take out a real policy with inaccurate info to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void ought to you try to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by providing forged work letters to protect 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 hiring victims through social networks.

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

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements providing '100% legit insurance ensured to beat any rate' to show drivers what to keep an eye out for

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

He falsely claimed his customers had worked for the company for multiple 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 offer the fake policies.

Police discovered that his child had actually also messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, frequently telling customers that his father would supply quotes for them the next day.

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

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

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was caught on CCTV eliminating 2 computers from the office 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 left.

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

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV video camera and left

How to prevent coming down with 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said clients can safeguard themselves by following the below guidance:

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

• Be cautious of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through ads in public places like pubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

• Avoid insurance coverage brokers who use personal e-mail addresses or mobile phone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're worried about a policy you've purchased or the details don't look right, contact the insurance coverage company directly - do not utilize the information offered by the broker.

• To ensure you're dealing with an authorised insurance 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 investigators discovered that he e claimed to have actually made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 despite pocketing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance scams alone.

When questioned by police, his child informed officers he might not keep in mind being offered money by his daddy and claimed he did not know 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 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, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offences and was provided 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise ordered to finish 100 hours of unpaid work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was provided 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was bought 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) reveal the cost of the average vehicle insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

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

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

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

The rip-offs, called 'ghost broking' are typically advertised on social media, promising inexpensive quotes for a cars and truck insurance plan.

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

The car insurance coverage prices quote that ARE too excellent to be real: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

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

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

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account information through phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

People frequently utilize the very same password throughout accounts, so when one is leaked a number of accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has actually introduced a project, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take extra online defense by enabling two-step confirmation.

Victims frequently do not realise they have actually been scammed until they attempt to declare on their policy or if they happen to be visited police and asked to show their insurance coverage files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually provide premium prices far more affordable than clients can find somewhere else.

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson bought a cheap vehicle insurance coverage policy on social networks before understanding it was fake after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive car insurance plan on social networks before realising it was fake 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 and that the number we had actually given them was not a number they would utilize,' he informed Sky News.

'That's when the dust settles, and you realise it's been a fraud.'
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Mr Simpson said the insurance files looked so genuine that they managed to deceive a cops officer at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your cars and truck's not popping up as insured". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance files, showed her the documents and she checked out through it and said," That's totally great",' he stated.