Saami Salami, 54, of Sunnymead Road, Brent, pleaded guilty at the Royal Courts of Justice on 27 January 2025 to two counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on 6 June 2025. The outcome followed a criminal investigation led by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), supported through evidence submitted by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), law firm DAC Beachcroft, Direct Line Group (DLG) and Markerstudy.
John Davies, Intelligence and Investigations Manager at the IFB, said: “We’re pleased to have collaborated with IFED and our partners to help achieve this successful outcome and ensure Salami faced justice for his appalling actions. This twist on Ghost Broking scams gives even more reason as to why the public must be vigilant of bogus motor insurance deals. Not only were victims of this case left out of pocket and driving uninsured, but their details were used unknowingly in collisions that never happened. We urge everyone to watch out for signs of Ghost Broking scams and to report any evidence of insurance fraud to our confidential CheatLine.”
Detective Constable Surinder Ram, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), said: “Salami had no regard for others when he tried to made fake claims against the insurance policies he had sold his victims. What he didn’t realise is that fraudulent claims don’t go unnoticed by the industry and law enforcement. Thanks to the due diligence from our industry partners, we were able to build a criminal case against Salami and put him before the courts. We know that the rising cost of insurance premiums means people are always looking for a cheap deal, but this case shows that it’s vital to check you’re buying an insurance policy from a legitimate source.”
Highlighted in court proceedings, it was found Salami had made claims against policies held with Churchill Insurance and Markerstudy. He took out both policies on behalf of others and then raised the claims by phoning the insurers and purporting to be the policyholder. Direct Line Group’s internal fraud team and Markerstudy, supported by DAC Beachcroft, both identified inconsistencies in the claims. Both claims were unsuccessful, and the cases were referred to IFED for further investigation.
Stuart Stevens, Head of Fraud at Direct Line Group, said: "Fraud isn’t a victimless crime. Every dishonest claim drives up costs for honest policyholders and puts pressure on drivers through rising premiums. Our mission is clear - to relentlessly pursue fraudsters and protect the integrity of our industry, ensuring fairness for all."
Officers from IFED linked Salami to the claims through evidence including the phone number he used to contact DLG and Markerstudy and recordings of phone calls he made to the insurers. Salami also contacted the insurers as an employee from a solicitors firm called Nexus Law, which had been appointed to manage the claims. The investigation found that Salami, under the alias Martin Allen, was the company director.
Information about the signs and impact of Ghost Broking scams is available on the IFB website. Anyone with evidence of insurance fraud can report it to the IFB’s confidential CheatLine via an online form or phoneline 0800 422 0421 (powered by CrimeStoppers).
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