If you and your spouse are a high-asset couple who have decided to seek an Indiana divorce, you would do well to remain vigilant to signs that (s)he may be committing financial fraud. Unfortunately, asset hiding and other forms of such fraud represent relatively common occurrences in a high-asset divorce.
While financial fraud is, of course, illegal, many greedy and/or vindictive spouses attempt it in order to better their post-divorce financial position. If your spouse is one of them, you may need the services of a forensic accountant in addition to a good divorce attorney in order to prove it.
Red flags of financial fraud
The Huffington Post reports that most spouses attempting financial fraud will exhibit one or more of the following red flag behaviors:
- Refusing to confide in you
- Receiving snail mail from individuals or businesses unfamiliar to you
- Stopping his or her personal snail mail home deliveries
- Receiving calls on his or her cellphone during which (s)he speaks abruptly, cryptically and/or in a low voice to the caller
- Engaging in suspicious behavior that leads you to believe that (s)he has a paramour
Accomplices to financial fraud
While some asset-hiding spouses have the ability and the wherewithal to hide assets on their own, most need help. Consequently, if you suspect that your marital assets may be diminishing, consider the following as your spouse’s likely accomplices:
- Parents, siblings, cousins and/or other relatives
- Friends, especially close ones
- Business associates, including employees as well as partners
- A paramour
Be sure to discuss whatever financial fraud fears and concerns you may have with your attorney, but no one else. Definitely, do not talk about them on social media because this could tip off your spouse and make his or her efforts even harder to find and trace.
This is general educational information and not intended to provide legal advice.
