Pretty much every married couple hopes their marriage will be free of dishonestly. Unfortunately though, there are a variety of different areas within a marriage dishonesty sometimes creeps into. One such area is finances. Financial dishonesty within a marriage can range from the relatively small, such as lying about a low-dollar-value purchase, to the very large, such as spousal financial fraud involving the dissipation or concealment of significant assets.
Spousal financial fraud can cause considerable harm, particularly if a couple is divorcing. Such fraud, if it goes undetected, could result in the spouse the fraud is committed against getting less than their fair share in the property division in a divorce. Thus, when divorcing, it can be very important to detect spousal financial fraud when it is present. Consequently, warning signs of spousal financial fraud are something married and divorcing individuals may want to keep a close eye out for.
There are a variety of different potential warning signs of such fraud, including:
- Sudden and unexpected behavior, habit or pattern changes in a spouse.
- A spouse concealing financial transactions, such as purchases, loans or monetary gifts.
- Odd financial activity, such as unusual bank account activity, by a spouse.
- A spouse being on the computer more than usual.
- A spouse being especially secretive in their computer usage.
- Sudden changes in the confidentiality level within a couple.
If a divorcing individual has spotted such warning signs or has seen other things that lead them to suspect that their estranged spouse has committed spousal financial fraud, they should discuss their concerns with a divorce attorney. Such attorneys can help divorcing individuals who believe they have been the victim of such fraud with constructing a team to help uncover whether their estranged spouse engaged in fraudulent financial conduct. Such fraud can sometimes be very difficult to detect, so having the right team with the right expertise can be vital when looking into whether such fraud has occurred.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Financial Fraud and Divorce,” Peggy L. Tracy, Oct. 2, 2015