The Thin Line of Credit Card Fraud
Don’t commit credit card fraud without realizing it.
Think you’d never commit credit card fraud? That’s what many people have thought and then they wind up doing it.
No Consent Equates to Fraud
Let’s say that you’ve applied for a credit card numerous times and you’ve been turned down. You don’t have the money to put together a secured credit card and you don’t have the money to buy a credit card gift card. You do, however, have your mother’s social security number and birth date. Why not apply for a credit card and have her cosign or better yet, apply for the credit card in her name and put yourself down as an authorized user? After all, she won’t mind, so it’s not credit card fraud, right?
Wrong! Whether it’s your mother, your sister, your brother or even your spouse, applying for a credit card in someone else’s name is credit card fraud. The only time it’s okay to have a credit card in someone else’s name and to be an authorized user is if the person whose name is on the card gives consent and applies for the card themselves. Anything else is credit card fraud.