A daddy and son duo from Leicester scammed motorist out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless car insurance coverage policies that left lots uninsured.
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Ilyas Rauf charged unwary clients up to ₤ 300 for void policies, which left chauffeurs facing potential fines and vehicle seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his child Amer Ilyas.
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In the scam, fake insurance coverage intermediaries will declare they can get you automobile or home insurance as a discount.

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

Alternatively, they get a real policy with inaccurate details to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void ought to you attempt to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by offering created work letters to secure 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 networks.

The dad and boy were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for scams offences

The National Crime Agency formerly shared a series of mocked-up Instagram ads offering ‘100% legit insurance guaranteed to beat any rate’ to reveal chauffeurs what to keep an eye out for

An examination discovered he utilized letters from a business called Eastern Catering to fraudulently acquire no claims discount rates.

He wrongly claimed his clients had actually worked for the company 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 found that his kid had actually likewise messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone in between October 2015 to March 2021, consumers that his dad would provide 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 linked to 52 deceptive motor insurance policies across 4 various insurers.

Ilyas Rauf’s bro Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing 2 computers from the office while authorities robbed his nephew’s home.

Four phone calls had actually been made between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV camera and left.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of 2 computer systems from the workplace while police robbed his nephew’s home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to obstruct a CCTV cam and fled

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 purchasing insurance coverage promoted through social networks platforms and immediate messaging apps.

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

• Don’t engage with insurance brokers who request payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will provide payment choices through an online portal.

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

• If you’re stressed about a policy you’ve acquired or the details don’t look right, call the insurance provider straight - do not use the details offered by the broker.

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

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Their scam was revealed when monetary investigators discovered that he e claimed to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of stealing more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by cops, his son told officers he could not keep in mind being provided cash by his dad 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 false representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and transferring criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

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

Ziaed Rauf, 47, of Thurnview Road, Evington, Leicester, was given 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 newest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the rate of the average cars and truck insurance coverage in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

However, premiums remain more pricey today than two years ago, with the typical policy ₤ 478 in January to March 2023 - 23 percent 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 with 22,530 in 2023.

Hacking approaches include scammers getting control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to reveal authentication codes.

The rip-offs, understood as ‘ghost broking’ are typically advertised on social networks, appealing cheap quotes for a vehicle insurance coverage.

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

The automobile insurance estimates that ARE too good to be true: Warning over surge in ‘ghost brokers’

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a friend.

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

Fraudsters can likewise get account details via phishing frauds or information breaches.

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

Action Fraud has introduced a project, supported by Meta, to encourage individuals to take extra online protection by making it possible for two-step verification.

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

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: ‘Ghost brokers typically use premium prices far more affordable than consumers can find somewhere else.

‘Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.’

Young chauffeur Wayne Simpson purchased a low-cost automobile insurance plan on social media before understanding it was fake after he was unable to claim following a crash, landing him with a loss of ₤ 500.

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

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

‘That’s when the dust settles, and you realise it’s been a fraud.’

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

‘She stated,” Your automobile’s not popping up as guaranteed”. Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance coverage files, revealed her the documents and she went through it and stated,” That’s completely great”,’ he said.