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

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary customers approximately ₤ 300 for void policies, which left chauffeurs facing prospective fines and car seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his child Amer Ilyas.

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

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

Alternatively, they secure a genuine policy with incorrect information to bring the 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 reduced 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 recruiting victims through social media.

The dad and son were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offences

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements using '100% legit insurance coverage ensured to beat any cost' to reveal motorists what to watch out for

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

He incorrectly declared his clients had actually worked for the company for multiple years without crashes or insurance coverage claims.

It was later on found that the address Eastern Catering was signed up to was the same used by Rauf to offer the phony policies.

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

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

Rauf was connected to 52 deceptive motor insurance plan throughout 4 various insurance companies.

Ilyas Rauf's bro Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing two computers from the workplace while authorities robbed his nephew's home.

Four call had actually been made between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV electronic camera and left.

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

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV camera and left

How to prevent falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Stay away from buying insurance plan promoted through social media platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

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

• Don't engage with insurance coverage brokers who request payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment alternatives by means of an online website.

• Avoid insurance brokers who utilize personal email addresses or cellphone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're fretted about a policy you have actually purchased or the information do not look right, contact the insurance supplier directly - do not utilize the information supplied by the broker.

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

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Their rip-off was discovered when financial investigators found that he e claimed to have actually made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 despite filching more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his child informed officers he could not remember being provided cash by his daddy 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 incorrect representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and moving criminal residential or commercial property and was imprisoned for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, also of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offenses and was provided 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise ordered 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 purchased to finish 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 vehicle insurance coverage 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 first quarter of 2025.

It follows a significant increase in social media and email hacking reports last year, 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 consist of scammers acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to reveal authentication codes.

The frauds, referred to as 'ghost broking' are frequently promoted on social media, promising low-cost quotes for a vehicle insurance plan.

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

The cars and truck insurance prices quote that ARE too great to be real: Warning over surge in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can also gain account information through phishing frauds or information breaches.

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

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

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

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

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

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased a cheap 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 driver Wayne Simpson bought a low-cost 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

'We contacted Aviva and they told me there wasn't a policy secured in my name and that the number we had provided 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 stated the insurance documents looked so genuine that they managed to deceive a law enforcement officer at the scene of the crash.

'She stated," Your automobile's not turning up as insured". Immediately I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage documents, showed her the documents and she checked out it and said," That's totally great",' he said.
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