Consumers ''not being asked to prove income when applying for credit cards''

Lenders in the UK are not asking consumers to prove their income when they apply for credit cards, a new report has warned.

Research from uSwitch.com found that 84 per cent of successful credit card applicants over the last year were not asked by the lender to provide any proof of income to support the figures they submitted on their application form.

What''s more, 14 per cent of people given a credit card in this period claim they were not asked about their salary or typical spending patterns during the application process.

Worryingly, five per cent said they had actually lied about their income while appling for credit cards.

"We cannot ignore the fact that the credit crunch has forced lenders to tighten their belts and reject applications that may lead to further write-offs," Simeon Linstead, head of personal finance at uSwitch.com, said.

"The fact remains that just because a consumer appears to have a ''suitable'' credit score, it doesn''t mean they are always honest about their income and actually have the cash available each month to pay the bill."

Recently, moneysupermarket.com reported that lenders were beginning to extend their zero per cent balance transfer deals on credit cards.