I Was Previously Married to Someone Who Fraudulently Used My Credit. – Melissa

“Dear Jon,

I was previously married to someone who was using my credit fraudlently and there is about 10,000 worth of debt to my name with no proof of what he has done. I am now married to a citizen of the UK with about 4,000 in debt in England and due to the immigration process and the expense he is not working. I am the sole provider.

I have several questions . . . I was married to someone previously who used my credit to make purchases and did not pay (of course with no proof for me to clear my name) and then there were my immature moments as a youngster of fulfilling my unnecessary pleasures. I recently ran my credit and I have debt that has accumulated for over a decade or so rounding off around 9,000. I am now married to someone who cannot work due to the immigration process and I am the sole provider. He left behind around 5,000 in debt in England from student loans which now obviously lumps into mine due to marriage.

1) Should I allow the “seven years” to run it’s course so my credit will clear? I’ve been told by several people that debtors cannot re-add your name to a debt list after 7 years.

2) Is the debt process the same in England?

3)And how do I handle his debt?
We cannot get any physical paperwork from his bank (they refuse due to it being an overseas address) so we are basically left to wait until his paperwork is sorted to go back to England to talk to the bank face to face.

4) What is the easiest and quickest legitimate way to pay off my, his, our debt?
I don’t want it to be so overwhelming. I’ve tried various get out of debt solutions but in the end I am sitting with way more debt then I started out with or no answers.

I am desperate to purchase a house and start a family. I want to be able to finance a car without a co-signer and I am ready for the change it’s just trying to find the route that actually works. Because of the debt I haven’t even began an emergency fund or saved for retirement. Please help.

Melissa”

Melissa,

If your new husband’s debt in question is not in your name and/or you are not jointly on the debt, it does not affect your credit, especially if the debt is in the UK/England.

Student loan debt in England is something that your new husband is going to eventually have to deal with, as it cannot be included in bankruptcy (same as in the US) and just does not go away.

As for your situation: You could wait out the time an account may drop off your credit file, but statutes as to how long you still owe a debt are different in different states. Just because an account is removed by time from your credit, does not always mean you no longer owe it.

Unfortunately, until you resolve the debts, purchasing a house may have to wait.

Have you discussed the fraudulent activity with the credit card or loan company? They usually have fraud departments, and the burden of proof may not be on you. If you swear out a compliant, and get the police involved, the burden then may fall on them. If you never signed a credit card receipt and someone else did, that is some proof. Have you discussed this with an attorney?

As for options, you could look into either debt management, settling the debts, or worst case scenario depending on your full circumstance, bankruptcy.

Regards,

Jon

Jon Emge is an experienced UK debt advisor who has helped thousands and thousands of people in the UK to deal with problem debt. Jon specialises in finding good solutions for problem debt using a variety of UK specific techniques.

If you have a question you’d like to ask about how to get out of UK debt, just use the online form. I’m happy to help you for free.