A father and kid duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling useless automobile insurance coverage that left lots uninsured.
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Ilyas Rauf charged unwary customers up to ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left motorists facing potential fines and vehicle seizures, while secretly sharing thousands of pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.
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In the scam, phony insurance coverage intermediaries will declare they can get you car or home insurance as a discount rate.

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

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

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by providing created work letters to protect affordable premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his revenues with his 28-year-old son, who was offered the job of recruiting victims through social media.

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

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements offering '100% legitimate insurance ensured to beat any rate' to show 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 business for several years without crashes or insurance 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 kid had actually also messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, typically informing customers that his father would provide quotes for them the next day.

Amer Ilyas would then tell victims to check out the workplace or send out photos of bank cards for processing of payment.

Rauf was connected to 52 fraudulent motor insurance plan throughout four different insurance companies.

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing 2 computers from the office while cops robbed his nephew's home.

Four telephone call had been made in between the siblings before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV electronic camera and fled.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV getting rid of two computers from the office while cops raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV cam and ran away

How to avoid succumbing to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said customers can secure themselves by following the below advice:

• Steer clear of acquiring insurance coverage promoted through social media platforms and instant messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in personal community forums or through advertisements in public locations like clubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

• Avoid insurance brokers who individual email addresses or smart phone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you have actually acquired or the information don't look right, get in touch with the insurance coverage company directly - don't utilize the details offered by the broker.

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

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Their scam was uncovered when monetary private investigators found that he e declared to have actually made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of stealing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his boy told officers he might not keep in mind being provided cash by his daddy and claimed he did not know 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 scams by incorrect 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 money laundering offences and was offered 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also purchased to finish 100 hours of unpaid work.

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was given 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete 120 hours of unsettled work after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

The most recent figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the rate of the average vehicle insurance policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

However, premiums stay more pricey today than two 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 rise in social media and email hacking reports in 2015, according to Action Fraud.

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

Hacking methods include scammers acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to convince others to reveal authentication codes.

The scams, understood as 'ghost broking' are typically marketed on social networks, appealing inexpensive quotes for a cars and truck insurance coverage.

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

The cars and truck insurance coverage quotes that ARE too great 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 media hacking were investment fraud, ticket scams or theft, Action Fraud stated.

Fraudsters can likewise gain account details via phishing rip-offs or information breaches.

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

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

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

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers generally offer premium rates far more affordable than customers can find in other places.

'Remember, if something sounds too excellent to be true, it probably is.'

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

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive automobile insurance policy 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 phoned Aviva and they told 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 fraud.'

Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage files looked so genuine that they managed to trick a cops officer at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your car's not turning up as guaranteed". Immediately I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, showed her the documents and she reviewed it and said," That's absolutely great",' he said.