Husband using wife's name to obtain & use credit cards: is it a matter for the police?

Lord_Frugal12

Hello!
I would like some advice about what to do about a possible case of credit card fraud. 
A wife in an abusive marriage has found out that her husband has been using her name to obtain and use credit cards.  The wife is about to start the divorce process.  But she is finding it difficult to know how many cards could be registered in her name. So here are my questions: 
1. Is there an organisation that could check to see the number of credit cards that might be in her name? 
2. Is this a criminal matter? Could the wife report it to the police? 
Thank you in advance for any information about what can be done about this. 
 

eskbanker

1. Any credit facilities in her name will be registered on at least one of her three credit files, so she should check these as a matter of urgency: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/check-free-credit-report/

2. Yes (it's fraud) and yes (she should).

[Deleted User]

2) Not only should she do it, she MUST do it if she wants the card companies to take the complaint seriously and take them off her credit record. There is almost zero chance that they will cancel any debt without this sort of fraud report (the abusive marriage, if the husband is prosecuted, might be enough but I wouldn't rely on that)

bris

It will be difficult to get the police or the CC companies to take it seriously.

Playing devils advocate here, spiteful wife blaming the soon to be ex for her debt, her word against his, not quite plain sailing. 

jonesMUFCforever

The credit cards will look at what the card has been spent on and come to a decision.

Smashingitnow

bris said:

It will be difficult to get the police or the CC companies to take it seriously.

Playing devils advocate here, spiteful wife blaming the soon to be ex for her debt, her word against his, not quite plain sailing. 

Only a very, very twisted person would come to that conclusion and I wouldn't let the fact that evidence will be sought deter her from reporting a crime in this instance or any other.

[Deleted User]

Smashingitnow said:

bris said:

It will be difficult to get the police or the CC companies to take it seriously.

Playing devils advocate here, spiteful wife blaming the soon to be ex for her debt, her word against his, not quite plain sailing. 

Only a very, very twisted person would come to that conclusion and I wouldn't let the fact that evidence will be sought deter her from reporting a crime in this instance or any other.

You can see it as twisted but if the wife refused to press charges on fraud and/or domestic violence, it's not an unreasonable position for the lender to consider given they're being asked to write off the debt for fraud, yet the wife won't proceed with fraud charges

[Deleted User]

Smashingitnow said:

bris said:

It will be difficult to get the police or the CC companies to take it seriously.

Playing devils advocate here, spiteful wife blaming the soon to be ex for her debt, her word against his, not quite plain sailing. 

Only a very, very twisted person would come to that conclusion and I wouldn't let the fact that evidence will be sought deter her from reporting a crime in this instance or any other.

Only a very naïve person would think it didn't happen, but they shouldn't let that deter them from making a complaint to the police and the card company. If the husband committed fraud, they should be arrested and face all the consequences of getting a criminal record (and the same if it were the wife).