A court has granted confiscation orders against Ikram Rafique, 38, of Romford, and his cousin, Mohammad Hamad, 32, of Ilford, after they stole thousands from drivers buying car insurance through their fake insurance broker firm.

Rafique operated as a ‘ghost broker’, which posed as a legitimate insurance broker, selling fraudulent motor insurance policies from January 2016 to December 2018.

He charged over 900 motorists a fee of up to £300 each to set up low-cost insurance policies. He provided false information to lower the cost of the premiums, meaning that the policies were invalid.

Rafique used a bank account opened under the name Qiuhong Chen to receive broker fees associated with arranging the fraudulent policies. Once the money was paid by the unknowing drivers, Hamad laundered the funds.