A daddy and kid duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by selling worthless cars and truck insurance coverage that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unwary consumers as much as ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left motorists dealing with prospective fines and vehicle seizures, while covertly sharing thousands of pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

In the scam, fake insurance coverage middlemen will claim they can get you car or home insurance as a discount.

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

Alternatively, they get a genuine policy with incorrect info to bring the premium down - which would likely leave it void must you attempt to make a claim.

Rauf, 51, made ₤ 61,763 from August 2016 to January 2020 by providing created work letters to protect discounted premiums for his victims.

Between September 2019 and June 2020, he shared more than ₤ 11,000 of his earnings with his 28-year-old kid, who was given the task of recruiting victims through social networks.

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

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram advertisements using '100% legitimate insurance ensured to beat any cost' to show chauffeurs what to keep an eye out for

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

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

It was later discovered that the address Eastern Catering was signed up to was the exact same used by Rauf to sell the phony policies.

Police discovered that his boy had also messaged 31 contacts about insurance coverage on his phone between October 2015 to March 2021, typically informing clients that his daddy would provide quotes for them the next day.

Amer Ilyas would then tell victims to visit the workplace or send photos of bank cards for processing of payment.

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

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was captured on CCTV eliminating two computers from the workplace while cops robbed his nephew's home.

Four phone calls had actually been made in between the brothers before Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully tried to block a CCTV video camera and got away.

Ziaed was captured on CCTV removing two computers from the workplace while cops raided his nephew's home.

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

How to avoid falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

Karl Parr, from AXA UK, said customers can safeguard themselves by following the below guidance:

• Stay away from buying insurance plan promoted through social networks platforms and immediate messaging apps.

• Be careful of insurance brokers who market their services in personal community 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 website.

• Avoid insurance coverage brokers who use individual email addresses or mobile phone numbers to sell policies.

• If you're stressed over a policy you've acquired or the details do not look right, call the insurance supplier straight - do not utilize the information provided by the broker.

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

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Their fraud was uncovered when monetary private investigators found that he e declared to have earned ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 despite taking more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage scams alone.

When questioned by authorities, his child told officers he might not keep in mind being given money by his father and claimed he did not understand 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 scams by incorrect representation, breaching the Financial Services and Markets Act and transferring criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise 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 unsettled work.

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

The most current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reveal the rate of the average vehicle insurance plan in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 percent drop from the year before.

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

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

An overall 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 scammers acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to encourage others to reveal authentication codes.

The rip-offs, understood as 'ghost broking' are frequently advertised on social media, promising low-cost quotes for a cars and truck insurance plan.

Car insurance plan have actually dropped over the in 2015, but are still remain historically high

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

Many victims think they are being messaged by a buddy.

The most typical intentions for social media hacking were investment scams, ticket scams or theft, Action Fraud stated.

Fraudsters can also get account information by means of phishing frauds or data breaches.

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

Action Fraud has introduced a campaign, supported by Meta, to motivate people to take extra online protection by making it possible for two-step confirmation.

Victims typically don't realise they have actually been scammed until they try to declare on their policy or if they occur to be come by police and asked to reveal their insurance coverage files.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually use premium costs far more affordable than customers can discover elsewhere.

'Remember, if something sounds too excellent to be real, it nearly certainly is.'

Young driver Wayne Simpson purchased an inexpensive vehicle 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.

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

'We phoned 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 utilize,' he told Sky News.

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

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

'She said," Your cars and truck's not turning up as insured". Quickly I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance documents, revealed her the files and she checked out it and said," That's completely great",' he said.