Motorists are being warned that they could be unknowingly breaking the law and facing fines, penalty points, and even having their vehicles confiscated due to invalid or fraudulent car insurance policies. As International Fraud Awareness Week approaches, experts at One Sure Insurance are alerting drivers to the increasing threat of criminals selling fake insurance on social media platforms and messaging apps, a scam known as ghost broking.
Unlike drivers who knowingly drive without insurance, many victims of ghost broking believe they have full cover, only to discover the truth when stopped by police or when trying to make a claim after an accident.
A spokesperson for One Sure Insurance warned: "It is natural for drivers to assume that once they have paid for a policy that they are legally insured. Unfortunately, many people are being hoodwinked by scammers, and finding themselves without any legitimate cover.
"Motorists are being hit with £300 fines, six penalty points and even losing their cars, all because the policy they bought was invalid without their knowledge. It is one of the easiest ways to break the law without realising it."
Experts at One Sure Insurance have warned that young drivers are being deliberately targeted through "too good to be true" offers on TikTok, which appear genuine and often feature fake policy documents and stolen branding from legitimate insurers.
The spokesperson said: "The challenge here is being able to spot these ghost brokers. They appear professional and legitimate since they send official-looking documents, offer 'discounts', and then often disappear the moment payment is made.
"Drivers often won't realise what has happened until it is already a police matter, and unfortunately being scammed is not a legal defence."
One Sure Insurance is urging drivers to carry out these three essential checks before buying cover for their motor:
"In light of International Fraud Awareness Week, it is important to highlight the growing scale of consumer scams in the UK," the spokesperson continued. "Insurance fraud costs the industry more than £1 billion a year, and we are seeing fraudsters increasingly diversify the way they contact consumers".
"Motorists need to ensure they not only pay for insurance, but also that what they pay is to a legitimate vendor. If you can't verify who sold you the policy, you may not be insured at all."
