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

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting clients as much as ₤ 300 for void policies, which left chauffeurs dealing with potential fines and car seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

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

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

Alternatively, they take out 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 supplying forged work letters to protect discounted 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 given the task of recruiting victims through social media.

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

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

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

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

It was later found that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the very same utilized by Rauf to sell the fake policies.

Police discovered that his child had actually also messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, often telling consumers that his daddy would offer quotes for them the next day.

Amer Ilyas would then tell victims to visit the office or send out images of bank cards for processing of payment.

Rauf was connected to 52 deceptive motor insurance policies throughout 4 different insurance companies.

Ilyas Rauf's bro Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating 2 computer systems from the workplace while authorities raided his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had been made in between the bros before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV cam and got away.

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

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV video camera and left

How to avoid coming down with 'ghost brokers'

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

• Stay away from acquiring insurance plan promoted through social media platforms and instant messaging apps.

• Be mindful of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in personal community forums or through ads in public locations like pubs, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

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

• If you're fretted about a policy you've purchased or the details do not look right, call the insurance service provider straight - don't use the details supplied by the broker.

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

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

When questioned by cops, his boy informed officers he might not remember being offered money by his daddy and claimed he did not understand what it was for.

The 3 males 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 imprisoned for 21 months.

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

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was provided 18 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months, and was purchased 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) show the rate of the average automobile insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

It follows a remarkable rise in social networks and email hacking reports in 2015, according to Action Fraud.
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An overall of 35,434 reports were made to the fraud and cyber crime reporting service in 2024, compared to 22,530 in 2023.

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

The rip-offs, called 'ghost broking' are often promoted on social networks, appealing low-cost quotes for a car insurance coverage.

Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the last year, however are still stay historically high

The car insurance quotes that ARE too good to be true: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a pal.

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

Fraudsters can also acquire account details through phishing rip-offs or data breaches.

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

Action Fraud has actually launched a campaign, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take additional online defense by making it possible for two-step verification.

Victims typically don't understand they have actually been scammed 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 documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers normally provide premium rates far less expensive than clients can find elsewhere.

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson bought a cheap vehicle insurance policy 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 driver Wayne Simpson bought an inexpensive cars and truck insurance coverage on social media before realising it was phony after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500

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

'That's when the dust settles, and you understand it's been a fraud.'

Mr Simpson stated the insurance documents looked so real that they managed to fool a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your automobile's not appearing as guaranteed". Immediately I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance files, revealed her the documents and she read through it and stated," That's absolutely fine",' he said.
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