to wonder why my exH has applied for a credit card at my address

[orchidsinpink]

I know I'm not, but I am wondering why he has done this.

We have been divorced 10 years and he has never lived here. He owns several properties (outright -as far as I am aware)

For background he was financially, emotionally and occasionally physically abusive during our marriage - extremely controlling. Despite that, I have remained on polite terms since our divorce as we have DC (now young adults).

I have put the credit card back in the post with "not at this address"

Sounds like he's trying to fraudulently trying to get a cc by using your address

Sounds like he's trying to fraudulently trying to get a cc by using your address

I know this, but I am trying to work out why. It is making me anxious as I feel that there is more to it than just a credit card. He usually has a plan

Stuff like this is usually someone’s credit score is down the pan and they can’t get credit. They’ll be pretending they’re a different person living in a different place.

He’d be hoping you’d give him the card, he then gets to max it out and all the bills turn up at your door not his.

Please don't let him use your address. You may not be on benefits/tax credits, but if you are they could be suspended while you get investigated for falsely claiming as a single person. If you're not on benefits it could still taint your credit score.

You are doing the right thing returning the letter to sender. I would also tell him not to do it again.

Yep, that's fraud right there. Excuse me for sounding paranoid but it might be wise to get a free experian report on yourself to check there's nothing else lurking that you don't know about.

@BobbleHat102 That's a good idea.

If you're not on benefits it could still taint your credit score.

This is incorrect - credit scores are linked to an individual, it is an urban myth that they are linked to a property or a relationships.

Is there a way of checking whether he has used this address for other credit? He is very plausible and I suspect our DC or the cleaner would hand over post in his name without thinking.

I can't believe how anxious this is making me. It has taken me back to how I felt when we were married.

In that case OP get yourself an external locking post box so you can monitor everything that arrives.

If you get any more correspondence from the credit card company, I would ring them and say that the applicant doesn't live at your address. Then return the letter to sender.

Call. The. Lender.

But if he's never lived there there won't be any bills with his name on for him to use as proof of address will there? Or don't you have to do this any more?

CC, yep, he might be hoping that the bills go to your address and he can ignore them, you take the hit. But if he owns all those properties, why would he bother? Unless he wants those CC bills with that address on to prove residency?

No, there’s no way of checking if he’s used your address for anything else. Don’t worry though. Just keep an eye on the post, if anything else turns up report it to the lender. It won’t affect your credit score.

Unless he wants those CC bills with that address on to prove residency?

This is the sort of thing he would do.

Call the company OP, right now.

We had letters recently about a trust fund being set up at our address. It turns out the woman doing it lived in our flat about 15 years ago and hadn’t lived in England since. She wanted to set it up in England and felt entitled to use our address as it was her ‘last know UK address’.

The type of trust must have been very beneficial to UK residents because last I heard the company had started court proceedings for fraud!

Anyway, I digress. Confirm with the lender that you don’t have anyone of his name at the address and they should cancel the card and block any new applications

Yes OP. My ex when we were together used my address to set all his accounts up saying it was just 'easier'. Turns out he had planned to use the card, not pay any money back on it, and then make a runner. He disappeared off of the face of planet and i was left with all the letters from his bank and police knocking on my door. Dunno how he managed it! But call the bank, get it out your life, scummy man.

Two things to do. One. Call the lender. Tell them your received a card at your address for someone who’s never lived there. They’ll block it.

Two. Report this to Action Fraud. You can do this over the phone or online. This would give you a crime reference number. You could pass this onto the lender too. Then regardless of why he’s done this, if it did cause some issue for you, you can say “nothing to do with me, someone fraudulently used my address and I reported it, here’s the ref number to prove it.”

‘I can't believe how anxious this is making me. It has taken me back to how I felt when we were married.’

Ah, back to the good old days - not.

Whether intentional or not, he has taken control & breached your boundaries by using your address for his own means.
Act now, follow good advice above.
Less of the ‘polite terms’, distance yourself from him by minimising contact & keeping an eye out for his mini-ploys to exploit you. Make sure you follow through on fraudulent applications to the companies & police as required.