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

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting customers up to ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left drivers dealing with potential fines and lorry seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.
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In the rip-off, phony insurance coverage middlemen will claim they can get you vehicle or home insurance as a discount.

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

Alternatively, they take out a real policy with inaccurate 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 supplying forged work letters to secure affordable premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his profits with his 28-year-old son, who was provided the task of hiring victims through social networks.

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

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

An examination found he utilized letters from a business called Eastern Catering to fraudulently acquire no claims discounts.

He wrongly declared his clients had worked for the business for multiple years without crashes or insurance claims.

It was later on found that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the exact same used by Rauf to offer the fake policies.

Police discovered that his kid had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance 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 out images of bank cards for processing of payment.

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

Ilyas Rauf's sibling Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating 2 computer systems from the office while police robbed his nephew's home.

Four telephone call had been made between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV electronic camera and left.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of 2 computers from the office while authorities raided 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 customers can protect themselves by following the below guidance:

• Stay away from acquiring insurance policies promoted through social networks platforms and instant messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance brokers who market their services in private neighborhood forums or through advertisements in public places like pubs, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance brokers who request payment in cash or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment options through an online portal.

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

• If you're stressed over a policy you've purchased or the information don't look right, get in touch with the insurance coverage service provider directly - do not use the information offered by the broker.

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

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

When questioned by cops, his son informed officers he could not remember being provided cash by his father and claimed he did not understand what it was for.

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

Ilyas Rauf, 51, of Normanton Road, Highfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty to scams 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 money laundering offenses and was given 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise bought to finish 100 hours of overdue work.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The scams, called 'ghost broking' are often marketed on social networks, appealing cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance coverage policy.
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Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the in 2015, but are still remain historically high

The cars and truck insurance coverage prices quote that ARE too good to be true: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

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

The most common motives for social networks hacking were financial investment fraud, ticket scams or theft, Action Fraud said.

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account details by means of phishing rip-offs or information breaches.

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

Action Fraud has actually introduced a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate people to take extra online security by enabling two-step confirmation.

Victims often don't understand they have actually been scammed up until they try to claim on their policy or if they take place to be stopped by cops and asked to reveal their insurance coverage files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers normally offer premium rates far less expensive than clients can discover somewhere else.

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

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson purchased a cheap cars and truck insurance coverage on social media before realising it was phony after he was not able to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

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

'That's when the dust settles, and you understand it's been a rip-off.'

Mr Simpson said the insurance coverage documents looked so genuine that they managed to fool a police officer at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your vehicle's not appearing as guaranteed". Immediately I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance files, showed her the documents and she went through it and said," That's completely great",' he stated.