Have you bought fake car insurance? Here’s how to check if you’re at risk of landing an unlimited fine, six points and your car being crushed
Con artists selling fake motor cover are targeting young motorists via social media, with £165,000 scammed out of 17 to 24 year olds over the last four years
A CRACKDOWN of uninsured drivers has sparked a warning from police to those who have bought fake policies from 'ghost brokers'.
Nearly £165,000 has been conned out of innocent Brits thinking they're buying cover in the last four years.
Operation Drive was launched nationwide on Monday by the MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau), and is catching out 3,000 uninsured drivers every single day.
It will run until the end of the week on November 18, with 35 police forces taking part.
You will face an unlimited fine, discretionary disqualification, six to eight points and even your car being seized or scrapped if you do not have valid insurance.
The IFED (Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department) released worrying stats earlier this year revealing that young motorists aged 17 to 24 were targeted on social media and scammed out of £912 each on average.
One in three young people have seen a suspicious car insurance advert on social media, according to the IFB (Insurance Fraud Bureau).
The City of London Police's IFED is now urging drivers to be cautious of cheap car cover offers.
It advises to check the (Financial Conduct Authority) or the websites to see a full list of legit insurance brokers.
You can also type in your number plate on the to see if your vehicle is indeed covered.
Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish, acting Head of the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: "We're fully behind the MIB's valuable campaign to catch uninsured drivers and help protect sensible motorists from the dangers they pose.
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"However, while there are some senseless people who choose to drive without insurance - which we hope this campaign will identify and or deter from doing so - we're aware that there may be thousands of well-intentioned motorists on the road right now who think they've got legitimate cover but have in fact been sold fake insurance by a fraudster.
"These fraudsters are commonly known in the insurance industry as ghost brokers and they leave the driver and other road users open to the severe harms that come with driving without valid insurance.
"We'd encourage drivers to be wary of heavily discounted prices they see on the internet or are offered directly."