Dementia and card fraud: helping a spouse with banking

If your spouse has dementia and you discover suspected card fraud, reporting the concern and managing their account are separate tasks. In England and Wales, marriage alone does not give you authority over their banking. A registered financial lasting power of attorney may provide that authority, depending on its terms.

• Raise suspected fraud promptly, even while you clarify who can manage the account.
• A dementia diagnosis does not automatically mean someone cannot make financial decisions.
• Financial authority is different from permission to make health and care decisions.
• This guide covers England and Wales, not the separate legal systems elsewhere in the UK or Canada.

Why might the bank refuse to discuss my spouse’s account?

The NHS guidance reviewed on 16 October 2026 explains that being married or in a civil partnership does not automatically allow someone to manage a partner’s banking when that partner cannot act. Being the person who normally helps at home is not the same as having recognised financial authority.

Separate the conversation into practical questions: how can the suspected fraud be reported, and what authority does the bank need before discussing the account or accepting instructions? Ask staff to explain the route for each rather than treating access and fraud reporting as a single problem.

A useful opening is to explain that you are reporting a concern about a potentially vulnerable customer, not claiming to be the account holder. Ask what information staff can receive and how the concern can reach the relevant team, without assuming they can disclose account details to you.

Can my spouse still take part?

According to the NHS, dementia does not by itself establish an inability to make decisions. Someone may understand an everyday purchase but struggle with a complicated financial issue. Where possible, ask how the bank can support your spouse to participate rather than assuming the diagnosis ends their involvement.

What can I do immediately about suspected card fraud?

According to Financial Conduct Authority guidance consulted on 16 October 2026, an unauthorised payment needs to be reported to the provider promptly. Use contact details from a card or statement, rather than a number supplied by an unexpected caller claiming to investigate fraud.

If your spouse can make the relevant decision, support them in contacting the issuer. If you already hold financial authority, identify yourself in that role. If your authority is unresolved, describe the suspected fraud and ask how to raise the concern without impersonating your spouse or using their security credentials.

1. Write down the transactions you are concerned about, using records you legitimately have access to.
2. Explain what is known about the payment and what remains uncertain.
3. Ask how to request protection against further card use and who can authorise that request.
4. Keep the case reference, correspondence and a record of conversations.

Do not assume every scam follows the same refund route. The FCA distinguishes payments made without authorisation from payments the customer was deceived into making. Describe events accurately, including any involvement of another person acting for the cardholder, so the issuer can assess the relevant rules.

For wider account monitoring, our guide to checking your credit report for free provides additional background. A credit report is not a substitute for reporting disputed card transactions directly to the issuer.

Which power of attorney covers banking decisions?

In England and Wales, a property and financial affairs lasting power of attorney, commonly called an LPA, is the relevant type for money matters. NHS guidance lists managing accounts, paying bills and collecting pensions or benefits among the decisions it can cover.

A health and welfare LPA deals with a different set of decisions. Holding that document alone is not equivalent to holding the financial LPA needed for banking. Read the financial document’s terms rather than assuming the appointment gives unrestricted authority over every transaction.

Registration matters as well as the document

GOV.UK guidance reviewed on 16 October 2026 says an LPA must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before use. A financial LPA can operate with the person’s permission while they can still make decisions; it need not always wait until they lose that ability.

Ask the bank how it verifies the appointment and what it needs to recognise you as an attorney. Make clear whether you are asking about registering authority with the bank, reporting fraud or disputing a transaction. Keeping those requests distinct can make the outstanding issue easier to identify.

GOV.UK specifies that this LPA system applies to England and Wales, with different arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Canadian readers should not treat the English and Welsh process as a route to authority over a Canadian account; this article does not establish Canadian requirements.

What if there is no financial LPA already in place?

The person making an LPA must have the capacity to do so. If your spouse can still make that decision, a dementia diagnosis does not automatically prevent planning. Specialist legal advice can help clarify their situation and the safeguards involved without treating a carer’s convenience as the deciding factor.

If they can no longer make that decision, creating a new LPA is not a shortcut. The NHS explains that relatives may need to seek appointment as a deputy through the Court of Protection. It describes this as a process that can take time and involve considerable expense.

That creates a practical distinction: resolving long-term financial authority may take longer than raising an urgent fraud concern. Ask the bank what can happen while the legal position is being clarified, but do not assume that reporting suspicious activity gives you permission to operate the account.

What if the issuer refuses a refund?

Ask for the reason and establish whether the obstacle is your authority to represent the cardholder or the bank’s assessment of the payment itself. Those are different disputes. A useful complaint identifies the disputed transaction, the relevant authority and the explanation you want the bank to address.

The FCA explains that using a card, password or PIN does not necessarily prove authorisation on its own. It also sets out specific refusal conditions for credit-card payments, including authorisation by the customer or someone acting for them, or the card user having it with the customer’s consent.

Neither a dementia diagnosis nor a suspected scam automatically settles the refund outcome. Keep the evidence and ask the provider to explain its decision. If the complaint remains unresolved, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help; our guide to using credit cards carefully offers broader background on managing card accounts.

Informational content only, not financial advice.