Ghost brokers spirit away young drivers’ policy cash

RECORD numbers of young drivers are being duped into buying fake insurance polices online by “ghost brokers”.

Men in their 20s, who face higher premiums, are the most common victims of the scams which leave them out of pocket and driving uninsured.

Adverts offering insurance for as little as £100 a year appear on social media sites like Instagram or student websites. The scammers forge insurance documents, which means the policies they sell are invalid, or take out genuine policies but cancel them and make off with the refund plus their victims’ money.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau is probing 70 ghost broking scams – up from 11 in 2015. Head of intelligence Stephen Dalton said social media is “a breeding ground for suspicious adverts.”

Experts advise drivers to be wary if a broker only provides a mobile number and warn if an insurance policy seems too good to be true, it probably is.