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

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

In the fraud, phony insurance coverage intermediaries will claim they can get you vehicle or home insurance as a discount rate.

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

Alternatively, they secure a genuine policy with inaccurate info 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 offering created work letters to secure affordable premiums for his victims.

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

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 ads using '100% legit insurance ensured to beat any cost' to show drivers what to look out for

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

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

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

Police discovered that his boy had actually also messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, frequently informing clients that his daddy would supply quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was connected to 52 deceitful motor insurance coverage throughout 4 different insurers.

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

Four phone calls had been made between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV video camera and got away.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing 2 computer systems from the office while police raided his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV electronic camera and ran away

How to prevent coming down with 'ghost brokers'

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

• Avoid buying insurance policies promoted through social media platforms and instant messaging apps.

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

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

• Avoid insurance brokers who utilize personal e-mail addresses or cellphone numbers to offer policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you've bought or the information do not look right, contact the insurance service provider directly - do not use the information provided by the broker.

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

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Their rip-off was discovered when monetary private investigators discovered that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of taking more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his boy informed officers he might not remember being given money by his daddy and declared he did not know what it was for.

The 3 men appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, June 6.

Ilyas Rauf, 51, of Normanton Road, Highfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty to fraud by incorrect representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and transferring criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to money laundering offences and was offered 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to finish 100 hours of unsettled work.

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

The most current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the price of the typical car insurance coverage policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

However, premiums stay more costly today than two years earlier, with the average policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 percent less than the first quarter of 2025.

It follows a dramatic increase in social media and email hacking reports in 2015, according to Action Fraud.

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

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

The rip-offs, referred to as 'ghost broking' are frequently marketed on social media, promising inexpensive quotes for a vehicle insurance plan.

Car insurance coverage policies have actually dropped over the in 2015, however are still stay historically high

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

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can also gain account information by means of phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

People typically use the exact same password throughout accounts, so when one is leaked several accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has released a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage people to take extra online protection by enabling two-step confirmation.

Victims typically do not understand they have been scammed up until they to claim on their policy or if they occur to be visited authorities and asked to show their insurance files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers normally use premium costs far more affordable than consumers can find in other places.
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'Remember, if something sounds too good to be real, it probably is.'

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive vehicle insurance coverage on social media before realising it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

Young motorist Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost cars and truck 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

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

'That's when the dust settles, and you realise it's been a scam.'

Mr Simpson stated the insurance coverage documents looked so real that they handled to trick an authorities officer at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your vehicle's not turning up as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, showed her the files and she read through it and said," That's completely fine",' he said.