Is Spousal Credit Card Fraud A Problem?If you are anything like us, you might find the title of this page to be rather strange. After all, what is spousal credit card fraud anyway? To - hopefully - most of us, the idea that our husband or wife would defraud us by using our credit card(s) is rather absurd. Regrettably, this is not the case... In fact, studies show that a significant percentage of credit card fraud and identity theft is conducted by the immediate family of the victim. It is startling to think that people could victimise those closest to them. But in America alone, this takes the forms of thousands of offences each year. Of course, we are thinking of immediate family rather than simply a spouse, but is that much different? The image of a man lying in bed asleep being robbed by a prostitute is often used in movies and TV dramas. Not having used - or been robbed by - a prostitute, we are unable to verify. But this image is surprisingly real for many people, it is just carried out by the person they have married... Why does this happen? Again, studies show that most people are basically honest, but that most of us are also prone to temptation. In other words, we are opportunists. Access to unguarded credit cards is most likely to occur in the home of the victim - after all, who leaves their cards, purse or wallet just lying around in a shop? And who has the easiest access to cards in the home? Thats right! The people that live in the home or visit regularly. For this reason, it is believed that as much as 30% (although it is an estimation) of all identity theft is conducted by a person that knows the victim. It appears that the temptation of easy money appeals to a lot of us! It is also worth pointing out that the people closest to us are also the most likely to be able to guess our passwords or PIN codes successfully. This isn't easy to do, but the intimate knowledge of a victim will provide the best and most obvious guesses. Does this frighten you? It does us. It is a shame to say that this means that the only way to truly protect yourself is to not trust those closest to you. If you have prior experience of family members stealing from each other - or you - then this might be a wise course of action. For the rest of us, however, this is not such an appealing mindset to carry. But, some security of your credit, debit and store cards in the home is only prudent. Should your home be broken into whilst you are out or away, a thief could easily cause mayhem to your finances if your cards are left unattended. Therefore, our advice is that we must all do our best to remain vigilant at all times. Please click here to return to our homepage for ways to prevent identity theft . To read more about the problems and solutions to credit card fraud, please follow these links:
Have You Been A Victim of Spousal Credit Card Fraud?Have you suffered financially at the hands of loved ones? If you are willing to share some of the details with us, to serve as a warning for others, please do... |