chaar-realestate

blogspot.com
A daddy and child duo from Leicester scammed driver out of more than ₤ 60,000 by offering worthless automobile insurance policies that left dozens uninsured.

Ilyas Rauf charged unsuspecting customers approximately ₤ 300 for invalid policies, which left chauffeurs facing potential fines and vehicle seizures, while secretly sharing countless pounds with his son Amer Ilyas.

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

They may either hand over a phony policy or an authentic one, which they subsequently 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 should you attempt 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 earnings with his 28-year-old kid, who was offered the job of hiring victims through social media.

The father and kid were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for fraud offences

The National Crime Agency previously shared a series of mocked-up Instagram ads offering '100% legit insurance guaranteed to beat any price' to show chauffeurs what to watch out for

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

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

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

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

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

Rauf was linked to 52 deceptive motor insurance plan across 4 different insurance providers.

Ilyas Rauf's brother Ziaed was caught on CCTV getting rid of 2 computer systems 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 obstruct a CCTV video camera and got away.

Ziaed was caught on CCTV removing two computers from the workplace while authorities robbed his nephew's home.

Ziaed Rauf unsuccessfully attempted to block a CCTV camera and ran away

How to prevent falling victim to 'ghost brokers'

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

• Avoid buying insurance plan promoted through social media platforms and instantaneous messaging apps.

• Beware of insurance coverage brokers who market their services in private community forums or through ads in public locations like pubs, cafes or newsagents.

• Don't engage with insurance brokers who ask for payment in money or through bank transfers. Reputable brokers will use payment options by means of an online portal.

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

• If you're stressed over a policy you've acquired or the information don't look right, call the insurance provider straight - do not utilize the information 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.

Advertisement

Their fraud was uncovered when financial investigators found that he e declared to have made ₤ 27,366 from 2016 to 2020 regardless of taking more than ₤ 61,000 from the insurance coverage fraud alone.

When questioned by authorities, his son told officers he might not keep in mind being provided money by his daddy and declared he did not understand what it was for.

The three 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 transferring criminal residential or commercial property and was jailed for 21 months.

Amer Ilyas, 28, likewise of Normanton Road, pleaded guilty to cash laundering offences and was offered 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was likewise purchased to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

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

The most current figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show the rate of the typical vehicle insurance coverage in January to March 2025 was ₤ 589, a 6 per cent drop from the year before.

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

It follows a significant increase in social networks and email hacking reports in 2015, 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 fraudsters acquiring control of an account and impersonating the owner to persuade others to expose authentication codes.

The scams, called 'ghost broking' are often promoted on social media, appealing low-cost quotes for a car insurance plan.

Car insurance coverage have dropped over the last year, however are still remain traditionally high

The vehicle insurance estimates that ARE too great to be real: Warning over rise in 'ghost brokers'

Many victims believe they are being messaged by a buddy.

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

Fraudsters can likewise acquire account details through phishing scams or information breaches.

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

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

Victims typically don't understand they have actually been scammed until they attempt to claim on their policy or if they take place to be visited police and asked to reveal their insurance documents.

Karl Parr, Claims Technical Director, AXA UK, informed MailOnline: 'Ghost brokers usually provide premium rates far more affordable than clients can find in other places.

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

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

'We contacted Aviva and they informed me there wasn't a policy gotten in my name which the number we had actually provided was not a number they would utilize,' he informed Sky News.

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

Mr Simpson stated the insurance files looked so genuine that they managed to trick a policeman at the scene of the crash.

'She said," Your car's not appearing as guaranteed". Straight away I went to my glove box, pulled the insurance files, showed her the files and she went through it and stated," That's absolutely great",' he said.