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Mother calls for tighter credit card checks
2:00pm Tuesday 13th February 2007
A mother wants tighter checks on credit card applicants after her unemployed son was given a £2,000 spending limit.
Luke Nicholson, 19, used the maximum £1,000 on his HSBC credit card within a few days of getting it.
He got an &More credit card from Marks and Spencer a few days ago and has already used it to buy more than £500 worth of goods.
His mum, Elizabeth Sutton, was furious Luke had been able to get the cards when he is on a jobseekers' allowance of £45 a week.
She said: "I cannot believe that he has been given these when he is unemployed without any checks whether he can repay them or not.
"Banks don't care who they give credit cards to because they are going to be making a lot of interest.
"Luke says the cards are interest free at the moment but he doesn't understand that when he finishes he'll be charged huge amounts.
"He's been given these credit cards and all he sees is pound signs. He thinks it's just like being given a load of money.
"He lives at home with me and I'm worried it will affect my credit rating if he can't make his repayments.
"I don't know whether he put on his application form he was employed or unemployed but they should have checked it more thoroughly."
Miss Sutton, 36, of Alfriston Close, Whitehawk, Brighton, said Luke was spending the credit on clothes, aftershave and presents for his girlfriend.
Luke, who has applied for a credit card with Capital One, did not want to comment.
A spokesman for Marks and Spencer said it considered several factors when deciding whether to issue a credit card, including past credit history and whether the applicant is on the electoral roll.
HSBC said Luke could have been given a card because he had not had one before and therefore had no repayment record.
Price comparison website uSwitch.com found nine out of ten credit card applicants are not asked for proof they can afford to repay credit card borrowings.
It said the income and affordability checks carried out by credit card providers are "woefully inadequate" despite changes to the Banking Code six months ago.
* For details on how to reclaim bank charges, visit www.theargus.co.uk
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