Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Aston Midshires – beware scam car insurers
Jasmine Birtles
25th Jan 2012
Car insurance brokers, Aston Midshires, are under investigation by the police, Trading Standards and the FSA after pretending to organise well-priced car insurance for young people. If you, or someone in your family, have organised insurance through this company you should check NOW to see if you are actually insured. It’s highly likely that you’re not and that you are driving illegally.
Aston Midshires Insurance, based in Enderby in Leicestershire, has now removed its website and stopped answering its phones.
The FSA has put a warning on its siteto anyone who has used their ‘service’ saying that “insurance policies sold by Aston Midshires may claim the underwriter is European Wood AB, a company authorised by the Swedish financial regulator, Finansinspektionen.
A firm authorised in another European Economic Area (EEA) state can offer certain products or services in other EEA countries, such as the UK, if it has a ‘passport’ to do so. You can find out more about EEA firms and how they appear on our Register.
However, customers should be aware that European Wood AB is in liquidation and policies underwritten by them may no longer provide insurance cover as expected.”
You can check to see if your car is actually insured by checking this page on Directgov.
It’s a nasty scam – as are all scams – aimed specifically at young people who are having a big problem getting well-priced car insurance. I hope they have the book thrown at them.
UPDATE: Following an investigation by the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), Danyal Buckharee was sentenced to 3 years in prison for creating four fake websites offering “cheap” car insurance – Aston Midshires Insurance, Astuto Insurance, Car Insurance Warehouse and First Car Direct Insurance.
I tool out insurance with this lot (Aston Midshires) is there any advise as to how to get any money back i paid them lump sum and 3 monthly instalments into Barclays bank please help i have lost 1500 quid and im only 18
Oh love, that’s terrible. I have a nasty feeling you won’t be able to get it back but I will check with Actionfraud.org.
I tool out insurance with this lot (Aston Midshires) is there any advise as to how to get any money back i paid them lump sum and 3 monthly instalments into Barclays bank please help i have lost 1500 quid and im only 18
Oh love, that’s terrible. I have a nasty feeling you won’t be able to get it back but I will check with Actionfraud.org.