A father and kid duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless vehicle insurance plan that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary customers approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left motorists facing possible fines and lorry seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his boy Amer Ilyas.

In the rip-off, bogus insurance coverage intermediaries will declare they can get you automobile or home insurance coverage as a discount rate.

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

Alternatively, they secure a real policy with inaccurate info to bring the premium 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 secure 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 given the task of hiring victims through social media.

The daddy and kid 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 guaranteed to beat any cost' to reveal chauffeurs what to look out for

An investigation found he used letters from a company called Eastern Catering to fraudulently acquire no claims discount rates.

He falsely claimed his clients had worked for the business for multiple years without crashes or insurance coverage claims.

It was later on discovered that the address Eastern Catering was registered to was the same used by Rauf to sell the fake policies.

Police discovered that his boy had likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, typically informing consumers that his father would offer quotes for them the next day.

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

Rauf was connected to 52 deceptive motor insurance plan across 4 various insurers.

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

Four telephone call had been made in between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct a CCTV camera and got away.

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

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV video camera and got away

How to prevent coming down with 'ghost brokers'

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

• Steer clear of purchasing insurance plan promoted through social networks platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Be cautious of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in personal neighborhood online forums or through advertisements in public places like bars, coffee shops or newsagents.

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

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

• If you're fretted about a policy you have actually bought or the details do not look right, get in touch with the insurance supplier straight - do not use the information offered by the broker.

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

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Their fraud was revealed when financial detectives discovered that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 in spite of swiping more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by authorities, his child informed officers he might not keep in mind being given cash by his father and claimed he did not know 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, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offences and was given 16 weeks jail time, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of overdue work.

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

The current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the cost of the average automobile insurance policy in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

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

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

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

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

The frauds, called 'ghost broking' are typically advertised on social networks, promising cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance policy.

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

The cars and truck insurance coverage quotes that ARE too great to be true: Warning over surge in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims think they are being messaged by a buddy.

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

Fraudsters can also get account information via phishing frauds or information breaches.

People often use the same password throughout accounts, so when one is dripped a number of accounts are left susceptible.

Action Fraud has released a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate people to take additional online protection by allowing two-step verification.

Victims frequently don't realise they have been scammed till they try to declare on their policy or if they happen to be dropped in authorities and asked to show their insurance coverage files.

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

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

Young motorist Wayne Simpson purchased a cheap car 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 vehicle insurance coverage policy 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 called up Aviva and they told me there wasn't a policy taken out in my name which the number we had actually offered them was not a number they would use,' he told Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson stated the insurance documents looked so genuine that they handled to deceive a police officer at the scene of the crash.

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