A father and child duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless car insurance coverage policies that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting clients up to ₤ 300 for void policies, which left motorists dealing with possible fines and vehicle seizures, while covertly sharing countless pounds with his child Amer Ilyas.

In the rip-off, phony insurance middlemen will declare they can get you vehicle or home insurance coverage as a discount.

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

Alternatively, they get a real policy with inaccurate 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 offering 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 boy, who was offered the task of hiring victims through social media.

The dad and child were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for scams offences

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

An investigation found he used letters from a company called Eastern Catering to fraudulently obtain no claims discount rates.

He incorrectly claimed his clients had worked for the company for numerous years without crashes or insurance claims.

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

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

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

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

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing two computers from the office while authorities robbed his nephew's home.

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

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

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV cam and ran away

How to avoid falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Steer clear of buying insurance plan promoted through social networks platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Be mindful of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in personal neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public places like bars, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

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

• If you're fretted about a policy you have actually bought or the information do not look right, get in touch with the insurance supplier directly - do not use the details provided by the broker.

• To guarantee 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 uncovered when monetary investigators found that he e claimed to have actually earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of taking more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance fraud alone.

When questioned by authorities, his son told officers he might not remember being given cash by his father 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 imprisoned for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offenses and was offered 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unsettled work.

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

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

It follows a remarkable 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 approaches consist of fraudsters gaining control of an account and impersonating the owner to persuade others to expose authentication codes.

The scams, called 'ghost broking' are often marketed on social media, appealing inexpensive quotes for a cars and truck insurance plan.

Car insurance coverage have dropped over the in 2015, however are still remain traditionally high

The automobile insurance estimates that ARE too great to be real: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can also acquire account information by means of phishing frauds or data breaches.

People often utilize the very same password across accounts, so when one is leaked several accounts are left vulnerable.

Action Fraud has actually introduced a project, supported by Meta, to motivate individuals to take extra online security by making it possible for two-step confirmation.

Victims frequently don't realise they have actually been scammed until they attempt to declare on their policy or if they take place to be visited police and asked to show their insurance coverage documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, told MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers typically offer premium costs far more affordable than customers can discover in other places.

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive cars and truck insurance plan 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 chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive car insurance policy on social networks before understanding it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

'We called Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy gotten in my name and that the number we had actually provided was not a number they would utilize,' he informed Sky News.

'That's when the dust settles, and you understand it's been a rip-off.'
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Mr Simpson stated the insurance files looked so genuine that they managed to deceive a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your cars and truck's not appearing as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage documents, showed her the files and she reviewed it and said," That's totally great",' he stated.