ID Theft

Who should I talk to about family id theft?

My boyfriends mother has racked up thousands of dollars of debt in her children's names (without their consent). She can't afford to pay this debt off, so now my boyfriend's credit is so ruined that he is turned down for almost everything he applies for. His credit score is considered "non-prime" and he has never had a credit card or loan before. I have urged him to file a police report, but he refuses to possibly send his 60 year old mother to jail. He wants to find out if his mother would without a doubt have to serve jail time. Who could we talk to about this? A lawyer? What kind of lawyer? Or a credit counselor?

Public Comments

1. A lawyer.
2. Sorry no sympathy, if you do the deed then you do the time. The kicker is it didnt have to go this far. The first time it happened it should have been reported. Then it was small - and probably not a major crimminal offense. Now! Honey your boyfriend is not - nor is his siblings going to do anything and as I see it you have 2 choices. 1 reconcile yourself to the fact that he will carry this albatros of debt around his neck that will drag you and your family and him down or 2, take a stand. The down and dirty is she is a thief and a con. She took what did not belong to her and played on the sympathy of her children so she could continue to steal from them. The only right thing for everybody is if she would walk in to a judges chamber, own up to what she has done, ask for mercy and accept the consequences for her mistakes - you would be surprised what might happen and it would be a wonderful gift to give to her children before she kicks the bucket.
3. Tough love. Parents have this issue with some children too. Especially, children that have been given the same name as their fathers. It's rather simple: Call the police and have them come out and make a report. Then, use that police report to start cleaning up your (your boyfriends) credit. Also, the police will ask if you want to prosecute. I would say yes. The crime, if they pick her up for it, will be fraud. I seriously doubt jail time will be encountered. More like a slap on the hand, or some community service work. A credit counselor won't do you much good unless you're no good at dealing with business letters and phone calls to the creditors yourself. Why pay someone to do what you can do?
4. They are all correct in their advice. The other thing to consider is that the credit card company is involved in this as well for issuing a card in his name. Once a police report is filed he can go to the credit card company and not be liable for the debt. It may take some arguing but it is not his fault they issued a card to her in his name regardless of if they are related or not. He will have a lot of work to do as far a getting a good credit score. This is something to start cleaning up ASAP especially if you are ever planning on marrying, buying a house, buying a car, etc. It's a huge deal.