credit crisis

[sonscrewedover]

My father stole my identity while I was under the age of 18. He opened multiple credit cards in my name, without my mother or myself knowing. I now sit at the age of 25 with over 26K in debt. I don't know where to begin. I am from a small town and don't want to cause my family unnecessary embarrassment. How do I go about fixing my credit problem, without sending my father to jail and forcing my mother to be left with the debt? Please help.

THanks,

 

[garykittrell68]

If your Father actually did this then he has commited a serious criminal act. ID theft, Fraud. The amount of this type of fraud is a felony and could result in some serious jail time.
Your best shot here is to obtain copy of your credit report (from all 3 credit agency(s) and file a dispute on all of the accounts in question. If they were opened before you turned 18 then send the credit agency(s) a copy of your ID, or DL, and a copy of your Social security card. This should prove that you are not liable for these account(s) I would also suggest that you have a fraud alert placed in your credit file to insure this does not continue. Tell your dad to destroy his own credit and stay the hell away from yours.....This is why good, honest consumers keep getting screwed so bad by the credit industry......FRAUD.

 

[sonscrewedover]

First off, do I have the ability to decide if he sees jail time or not? Do I have the option of having him take on the entire debt under his credit SSN? Is there anything else I can do to avoid embarrassment in my small town?

 

[garykittrell68]

Face it.......The entire ordeal is an embaresment, But it's not your fault. You could file a police report and they wil investigate it to determine if your father broke the law, and then they will forward their findings to the DA for prosecution. The creditors in question will more than likely press charges. As far as he getting the debt place on him.....It doesn't actually work like that. The first thing to do is insist that it be removed from your credit file. If your dad is going to have to pay it back then the judge would have to order restitution to the creditor. You may also have a lawsuit against your Dad, and the creditors. The creditors should have verified WHO was opening up these accounts. Their neglegence in this has caused damages to you because of it destroying your credit reputation, and caused undo stress.
ID theft is no joke.......In fact it's a very rapidly growing crime and has had a severe impact on consumer debt, and has caused the credit industry to increase intrist rates, and raise fee's. We are ALL VICTIMS because of people like your Dad.
Good luck.

Gary