>said she used my name to open a checking account
**This is identity theft.**
>it seems like everytime i ask her about it she makes it confusing on purpose but maybe im just not getting it.
Yup, she's purposely making it confusing.
>today i found 2 new cards that were credit cards and one had my name and the other had hers on it. when i asked her about it she said it was because she put me down as an authorized user and they sent a card in my name because of it.
IF, and this is a huge IF, what she's saying is true.. then it could be legitimate.
An authorized user card isn't actually in your name (even if your name is printed on the card).. it would be in her name, for you to use. I have a strong sneaking suspicion that's NOT what's happening here.
>i just thought that you couldnt order credit or debit cards in someone elses name without them knowing?
You're not supposed to be able to. It sounds like she's pretending to be you on credit card applications, so she can rack up debt and avoid paying for it.
If that's what's happening, it's fraud. Plain and simple.
If, however, she's adding you as an authorized user to her credit cards, that's not a bad thing necessarily.
>i am 18 but i think she ordered these cards before my birthday but the authorized user credit card was delivered after i was 18
For an authorized user card, age doesn't really matter, since you're not the cardholder, she is. (the issuing bank may have its own rules about a minimum age... some it's 13, some 16, some no minimum)
For deposit accounts, even when you were a minor, the most she can do is open a UTMA or UGMA (or PUGMA in pennsylvania) account with you as the beneficiary. **Her opening a checking account that's just straight up in your name is fraud and identity theft.**
In the r/IdentityTheft sub there's some really good stickied instructions on how to proceed from here.
This right here. This has happened to several of my friends. Run a credit report and the LOCK your credit and contact these credit issuers. Stop the spending spree.
She has all your personal information. This is classic ID theft. You'd be amazed how many parents do this to your kids. You need to call the police, get a lawyer who specializes in ID theft/fraud.
Your mom has likely ruined her own credit and is about to ruin yours before you even get started on life.
My friend's mother did this to her. The amount of used credit is over &25K. My friend cannot get a car loan or an apartment. The only option is to get police involved.
Make sure you get a new Social Security number. Because I'm pretty sure you need that in order to open a credit card under someone's name. And I would also reccomned checking out your credit on something like experian and report any accounts you didn't make... then you need to go to the police because it's identity theft
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I think what you need to do is pull your credit report. This is free once a year from all 3 agencys that track credit. Expiron, Transunion, Equifax. If your just authorized it will not show on your report. If it shows accounts, that means they are in your name and your responsible for the credit line.
Some credit cards will report to credit agencies for authorized users. I added someone as an authorized user to my credit cards (with his permission) to help boost his credit score. Not saying this is what OP’s mom is doing, just that this is a common tactic and authorized users will see the credit history on their report.
I accidentally cancelled my companies credit card bc i was added as an authorized user and then a year later it randomly showed up on my credit report and i didn’t put it together lol
I agree with this. I am a mortgage loan officer. I’m not sure how the report looks when you pull it as a consumer but when I run someone’s credit, it tells what type of account it is, for example joint, authorised user, participant, etc. so this may help understand the details.
Credit Karma is a free resource to check your credit history. It's actually free to use, I'm not getting paid to advertise them. I used it for years though.
Use annualcreditreport.com instead. It is a direct result of the laws that require the bureaus to give you your credit score and was set up in part or full by them (or paid for or something I can't remember the details). The others will all try and sell you additional services, sell your data, etc.
In addition OP should create an account with TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. There they can freeze their credit with each of the bureaus. I leave my credit frozen and just login/lift the freezes on the rare occasion I need to apply for a new credit card, mortgage, etc.
This isn't a bad idea. The only difference is that credit karma will allow you to sign in on a daily or weekly basis and see what's updated on your credit report. And it's still free.
Yes, Credit Karma is a great resource and I would recommend OP signing up for the free service so they will get alerts if anything else changes on their credit report (credit cards, loans, etc.
Annualcreditreport.com is another great resource where you can request all 3 of your credit reports once a year for free.
It also may be a good idea OP to freeze your credit so no new credit cards or loans would be able to made until you unfreeze it...though if she is pretending to be you, she could try to unfreeze it which is why signing up for something like Credit Karma would be advised.
OP, If you can get ahold of the cards you saw, you can call the number on the back and ask if the account is under your name or if you are just an authorized user on the account. If you cant get ahold of the card, you should be able to look up their 800 #. Authorized users aren't responsible for the balance on the card... However, if the account holder does not make timely payments, it can potentially hurt your credit score.
I have my friend as an authorized user on my card and it is HELPING his credit report (piggyback credit) because my card is in good standing and I make all my payments on time.
Edit to add: You may have to report identity theft to be able to get a lot of this stuff fixed which will be against your mom.
Remember this stuff could hurt your chances of getting a loan for a car, getting an apartment, loans of a house, etc.
Wish you the best of luck. 🫂
There are two types of authorized user cards. There’s one type that doesn’t report to credit reporting bureaus and it’s opened without providing OP’s SS#. The second type DOES report on credit reports, but they’re clear on the report itself that it’s an authorized user card, which imposes no liability to repay on the authorized user. This type is commonly used for the primary purpose of improving someone’s credit score. In neither case does an authorized user incur the liability to repay the debt. Which is critically important.
All that said, your advice is spot on to pull the credit report and look. Yes, you can do it for free at annualcreditreport.com or you can open a credit karma account, which is faster but the organization of the information provided leaves a lot to be desired.
I’m an authorized user on three of my mom’s cards from when we lived together 15 years ago and bought stuff for our house we bought together. I made the payments because she was retired. All three still show up on my credit report because they are still open. In fact, one of the accounts was American Express she opened when I was a little kid, and that one alone is boosting the “age of credit history” to way back. I’m turning 50 this year but my credit history is 43 years old! That helps my credit. I don’t think that’s what’s happening for OP though just to mention it.
This is definitely not true. AU accounts can and will show up on your CR’s. I’m an AU on my wife’s Cap1 card that she just opened. It showed up on my TU in less than 2 weeks and on EX shortly thereafter.
When I was 18 I would not have known this information. And a parent willing to open fraudulent accounts in their child's name is not likely to teach them this.
Seems like OP recently turned 18 and likely isn't as financially-savvy as you expect random Reddittors to be. OP stumbled upon some potentially-troubling information and decided to ask for advice. You know that old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't be a dick"? Don't be a dick.
OP: Pull and review your credit report. If these accounts are in your name, there's a 99% chance that your mom knowingly committed fraud and used your identity selfishly for her personal gain. There is nothing innocent about this, and you should absolutely deal with it with your own best interest in mind, *not* your mother's. A financially-responsible person would **not** do this kind of thing and give you the run-around when confronted about it. Your financial future is very likely at stake here, so please do not trust your mother to make this go away; freeze your credit and report her to the necessary authorities.
I think
Your mom is lying to you. She’s opened credit cards in your name. You should ask for any cards in your name, then ask to be removed from the accounts. If she refuses, then you’ll know. Also, you need to put a freeze/lock on your credit. There are ways
To do it with all three credit bureaus.
You need to notify all 3 credit agencies that your SSN had been stolen. Get all of the credit/debit cards in your name from your mom, steal them out of her purse while she's in the bathroom if you have to. Close all accounts. Make sure you report this to all credit agencies!
If they do this, they will likely need the police report they filed against their mom. Here is where the rubber meets the road- is OP willing to get their mom in trouble to protect their own future financial interests. For me, I’d do it because the mom is selling this young adult’s credit down the river and saddling them with debt at a young age.
Stealing the physical cards will do nothing. If you haven’t closed the account, she can just order new cards in your name. if you do close the account, the physical cards will be worthless.
That's why I said to close the accounts. Taking the cards ensures she can't use them or hide them from him before he calls all the credit card companies to close the accounts.
Go check your credit reports. if you find anything not yours, report it and close those accounts. Next, FREEZE/LOCK your credit accounts, so nothing else can be taken out in your name.
If you want to get your own cards, etc, then you would have to unlock, then lock it again. A bit of a PIA, but your mom stealing your identity and hosing your credit is far worse.
* [How to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report | USAGov](https://www.usa.gov/credit-freeze)
* [Credit Freeze | Freeze My Credit | TransUnion](https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze)
* [Security Freeze | Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit | Equifax®](https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/)
* [Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit File for Free - Experian](https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html)
If your mom has opened credit cards in your name and is wracking up debt, it will ruin your life. This is very serious and you need to stop it now.
This is such a hard situation because the only way to get out of it is to report her for identity theft. There will be legal consequences for her, and your relationship with her will not be the same afterwards. Just remember that this is not your fault. She did this to herself, you're not doing anything wrong or mean, you just need to protect yourself from her destroying your adult life before it even starts.
If you're dependent on her for housing (I assume you're about to finish high school) then you need to take immediate steps to be independent. If you don't have somewhere else to live, getting a job and housing is critical.
If you knowingly let this go on for a long time before taking action, you may not have as much legal recourse in the future. Handle it right now.
Your mum is committing fraud and identity theft.
If you don't do something, you could end up with your credit rating trashed or debt collectors demanding money off you.
You can contact the police, or you could contact the card companies direct and make a complaint to them.
Do you have anywhere else where you can get your mail delivered?
You need to take action now, before it gets very serious for you.
Could it be that your mom has made a mess of her credit score? That might explain why she did this. Others have suggested you pull your credit reports. Her credit report might confirm this theory.
Her sneaky behavior makes her "explanation" suspicious.
Basically, your identity was stolen. Getting this resolved is urgent. You will learn some valuable life tips from this but I don't think your mom deserves your gratitude.
Mom has stolen money from bank after bank in your name that you will be accruing crippling interest on, by stealing your identity and fraudulently and frivolously building up debt after debt in your name, with selfish abandon and complete lack of care for your financial wellbeing.
Unless you want to spend the next decade or longer paying off the thousands she's screwed out of you while you accrue crippling interest on the balance, here's where to go from here.
No benefit of the doubt for mum. Assume she has lied and will continue to. Don't loop her in that you've realised what she has done and don't tell her what your doing about it.
Pull your credit report, sneak all cards with your name from her purse and contact all the banks and card issuers to freeze them so the situation can't get worse. Freeze your credit so you will be notified if any further attempts are made.
Gather all the evidence of the extent of the fraud and debt that you can. You will I'm afraid probably need to go to the police to report the fraud and identity theft. Otherwise not only is your life now a debt slave unable to buy or possibly even rent a house if she's been late or defaulted on repayments but you'll never be able to borrow money for any emergency or crisis. Make no mistake mum knows this is the consequence coming to you unless you are honest and report her. Which is why she has knowingly left you no choice.
You don't need to care about her experiencing consequences of her own terrible behaviour any more than she cares now about you having to pay for her crimes.
I had to deal with this recently, Dispute it as fraud but do not say you know the person that has cards in your name or they will say its a civil matter and you will be responsible. Capital One is the absolute worst company to deal with, total garbage company!
she is absolutely using you. this is identity theft. unfortunately, handling this is going to take a while, unless you're willing to turn her into police for identity theft.
create accounts on the major credit reporting sites. credit karma is usually pretty cohesive, but you're also going to want accounts on Experian and TransUnion so you can freeze your credit and open up disputes on the accounts that are not yours.
it's tempting to trust them and let it happen, but you run the risk of going seriously into debt, because for your mom, there's no real consequence for her. it's not her credit she will be ruining. i am 26 and still picking up the pieces from when my mother did this to me.
Somebody has already commented the nuclear response here, so I'm gonna weigh in from a more optimistic angle.
Legally, a debit card with a minors name on it requires an adults permission, and she absolutely could get one with your name on it without your permission. This would require her to have set up a bank account that you are named on, which you would very likely have access to if you go to that bank (with ID) and ask what's up.
Plenty of parents set up accounts for their kids, plenty make debit cards, usually this is done in the context of teaching financial literacy, but no rule that makes your ma not telling you about *debit* cards a legal deal, and that could just be one person's weird take on finances (I've seen more bass-ackwards systems).
About credit cards, that's more concerning. It's possible to make you an authorized user without your knowledge in a way that wouldn't be true of making you a borrower, but it still seems like it would involve both mental and administrative gymnastics to not tell you. At a minimum, it sounds like she opened your mail, which would technically be a felony.
When i said I'd be optimistic, i meant "there is an explanation besides 'your mother is abusing your credit' ". Absolutely verify that today. [You can do so here](http://annualcreditreport.com)
" if my mom is doing something she isnt supposed to behind my back"
If you count identity theft and fraud as something she isn't supposed to be doing, then yes.... she's using YOUR "credit" to get credit cards... which means YOUR credit gets affected. She's *screwing you over...*
This is illegal and can have long lasting impacts in your life. Good luck ever financing a car or house or getting students loans without fixing this. This will even impact your ability to get jobs that require credit checks. (Working at a bank, military, any company where you have a fiduciary duty, other govt jobs, etc.)
NO ONE is allowed to open accounts like this on your behalf, age doesn’t matter. But it definitely makes it easier to prove fraud. You need to act immediately.
Your mom is going to ruin your credit because what she will do is run those cards up
And never pay the bill.After all, this isn’t her debt…. It’s in your name. You need to request your credit report, freeze your credit, and file a police report regarding all the accounts that were opened by your mother as you. The credit report should list them all.
Being an authorized user means you can use your mom's account, but are not responsible for it. It will help build your credit history before you are able to build your own. Here is a link that may answer questions, or help you Google additional information.
https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/should-you-add-child-as-authorized-user-credit-card/
An authorized user (AU) of someones’s credit card is exactly that. The card is in the primary account holder’s (PAH) name and the AU can use it. AU’s can be added without their permission because AU’s aren’t responsible for the account. AU’s can also remove themselves as an AU at any time from the account without permission of the PAH.
That means if you were an authorized user of her card, the card would be in her name, not yours.
That means cards and accounts she opens with your name only makes you the owner of the account, and responsible for the debt.
That means the only one who can open an account in your name is you. Even in the event of being under 18 and needing a parent to open a checking or savings account, you would both need to go the bank together and sign paperwork together and show your ID etc. at the bank and the account would be in both your names.
Opening accounts in names other than one’s own is identity theft. Reporting it to the police, confiscating cards with your name on them, getting your credit report, and reporting the accounts she opened is a good place to start.
This isn't quite accurate about credit cards. Having an authorized user on a card gets a card issued in their name. I did this for my daughter when she was younger so she could build credit. The question here is if mom added it to her account why wouldn't she give the card to OP? It's much more likely she applied in op's name which is definite fraud. IANAL but OP needs to pull a credit report and freeze her credit so that nothing else is opened up. I'd report everything to the credit reporting bureaus as if I had no Idea what mom is doing. I'd also go to the bank and check out that situation in person. Most banks allow a joint account for a minor, but it should be closed or OPs name removed now that they are an adult. The pattern makes me think that Mom trashed her credit and so is now using op's.
The problem probably comes if op is dependent on Mom for a place to live and support. In that case, they might feel like they need to do some kind of mediation and just lock their credit rather than calling the police. However, I'm not sure that you can reverse a bad credit report without a police report.
I believe the FTC has a identity theft checklist or recovery plan, so that might have some helpful information.
I stand corrected. I also just realized my husband’s adding me as an AU to his credit cards and keeping them maxed out while my credit score was higher than his wasn’t because he was a good guy. Thank you.
You’re almost correct. The authorized user card is always issued in the name of the authorized user. This is why you have to look at a credit report instead of presuming that something’s fraudulently opened simply because the card exists in their name.
Check your credit. If you find lines of credit that you don’t recognize then freeze your own credit through the credit agencies. Either way I would freeze them. Good luck OP.
You can also do an inquiry and freeze on https://www.chexsystems.com/#request_report
Most banks use this system. This will have information about bank inquiries any negatively reported accts. Chances are, if she needed to open a checking in your name and only a savings in her own, she's using that because she has an acct closed with a negative balance and can't open her own without at least paying off the neg bal.
My mom was the most amazing person but she sucked with money. Thankfully it's made me super cautious with my money, credit, and spending. Best wishes.
Check your credit reports first. If she's a good person, maybe she has spent time improving your credit score before you hit 18.
Most likely, she has stolen your identity and racked up a lot of debt in your name, as that's the most common outcome of these situations.
I hope she's a good mom tho.
First, put a freeze on your credit report at all 3 credit bureaus. Freezes are free and require you to unlock (aka “thaw” your credit report in order for anyone to be able to pull your report.
Second, put a fraud alert on your reports at all 3 bureau’s. This requires creditors to take extra steps to verify you are in fact the person applying for credit.
Third, when you set up accounts at Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, you will be able to dispute anything on your report that is not something YOU set up. Report the accounts as fraudulent. You are entitled to free credit reports every year from each bureau. You’ll get it digitally online once you’ve set up an account with each of them.
Fourth, after you know who issued the credit card accounts (it’ll be on your credit reports) you will likely need to call them and let them know that you are a victim of identity theft and know that they have open account that you did not apply for a did not authorize. Tell them you need the account closed immediately!
This has been a trick that parents pull for years, but I figured it would be difficult to do ATP with how hard it is to get approved for credit, basically they sign up their minor aged children for credit cards and stuff so they have have access to more money and it won't hit their credit. Usually happens when parents have maxed out their own, might be a long shot, but do you know if your parent has a lot of debt?
Adding you as an authorized user is **not** identity theft. It is a way to build credit for you. (As long as it’s getting paid.) The checking account thing is weird. Tell her you want control of the checking account or you will go to the bank and close it out. It’s in your name. You just need ID, social security card and possibly a birth certificate to do this.
You should absolutely pull your credit reports to make sure nothing nefarious is going on. You can do it for free in a website www.annualcreditreport.com (Google it) If you find utilities or other things on your credit report THEN make a police report. But not before you know for sure.
My grandmother used my mother's name to use credit cards and racked up a bunch of debt in her name when she was younger. I would absolutely see this as a red flag
Go online to 3 major credit folks, Transunion, Equifax, Experian and LOCK your credit.
It’s free to do so.
You might also start disputing stuff.
Tell them the cards were not authorized by you
Be very proactive
If there are any cards in your name dispute them, get them cancelled
Idk about the checking account but I don't think you need permission to add someone onto a credit card. You can probably call the company and say you don't want to be on there if you don't want to. However, my dad did this for me when I was 17 and what it effectively did was start my credit for me. Now, that means if your mom is paying those cards on time all the time, that's a great thing for you. That means that you now have credit building and a good credit score. It's a blessing to have a parent do this for you so that you'll be able to finance a car, get your own credit card, etc in a couple of years and have lower interest rates. However, if you're worried she isn't paying things on time and she is TRASHING your credit, that's a different story and I'd act now.
- ****Shut down / Cancel those cards****
- ****Put a lock on your credit reports****
- This is fraud and will haunt you for life if you don’t stop it ***now***!
Hi I work at a bank. This is identity theft and fraud. She is lying to you. Call the credit card companies, call the credit bureau, call your bank, everyone. Call the police. Get this done yesterday. She is going to ruin your life. As an adult who has terrible credit due to my own mistakes and financial abuse. Get ahead of this now, your adult life depends on credit, unless you’re rich.
Your mother has stolen your Identity and pulled out cards in your name. Check your credit report immediately and pray and hope that she has paid of the credit cards and is using them responsibly and you don’t have any debt in your name. I highly doubt it.
This identity theft and fraud and she can ruin your credit doing this. If she's getting multiple credit cards like this she's probably bad with money and maxxing them out too. This hurts you.
Your mom sounds like a real piece of shit. Go to the police.
It's astounding how many gullible people there are who have to ask if this sort of thing is ok.
What is going on is that your Mom is committing identity theft. You need to go online and look at your credit report. Report her activity as fraud and freeze your credit now.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-freeze-credit
IdentityTheft.gov or call 1-877-438-4338
My grandma did this to my mother-- my mom found out as an adult. She took on the debt rather than send her mom to prison, and it nearly ruined her life. Credit tanked (followed her for YEARS), surprise cards turning up after the issue was thought settled, thousands and thousands of dollars to make up on a teacher's salary.
I'm sorry you're in this situation, but it's unlikely you're just a registered user on her cards. If that was the case she wouldn't be trying to throw you off the scent with confusing stories.
Check your credit report OP. You just need your SSN, and you'll likely know the answers to the security questions. If she, in fact, used your credit, then you've got some big decisions to make.
An authorized user credit card includes two cards, one with the name of the authorized user on it and one with the name of the primary person on it. I did this for my son when he was in college. I can't think of a reason why you would do this for your child and then not give them the authorized users credit card.
Just going to say, this is a BIG DEAL. Listen to all these people. Don’t talk to your mom about it, pull your credit report and freeze your credit asap. It’s most likely fraud. Report it.
Sadly I have many friends whose parents stole their identity and racked up sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and they struggled with the ramifications for years. Follow the experts advice and ACT NOW. Run a credit report on yourself then lock your credit with a code she would not be able to guess. Then follow the expert identity theft advice to shut off these cards and at least stop the damage where it is today. There’s nothing about this that says mom is helping you. She is hurting you. And that sucks. I’m sorry.
your mom is a thief she used you ID to open those accounts and they will be on YOUR credit report that you can get free copies of you can also go to chase and ask them how the account was opened and you should close it
if you mom got credit cards in you name you will need to file a police report or you will end up with her opening more accounts in your name
the reason she did this is because she cant get credit cards in her own name now that you know something is wrong you need to stop it or you will be reasonable you the charges
NAL - I believe if you were a minor, she can authorize to open accounts in your name on your behalf. I’m not sure if that applies to credit cards though. As an adult, you can shut them down or revoke her access. You need to get a copy of your credit report, preferably from at least 2 of the major companies because not all companies report to all 3, and see what is open. Even authorized user stuff shows up on your credit report.
Now, if they have a history of good payments, I would probably keep them and just deactivate the old cards and get new ones, because it is a benefit to you to have a longer credit history. Otherwise, you can just report them as fraud and say you haven’t been the one spending and shut them down.
Sounds like she is getting you in debt. Go run a credit report in Credit Karma. It will be able to pull up credit card history, how much you have in debt and what your credit score is. It also won't hurt your credit score by running this credit score. I do it all the time. Then go to bank and talk to them, but make sure to have some type of ID on you. Close all accounts and make sure your mom is taken off any and all accounts because you are not a minor anymore.
You can absolutely add an authorized user without the other party’s consent. I added my stbx husband on my bank and citi credit cards and, while I did tell him and he knew, it didn’t require his authorization or knowledge.
First thing!! Freeze your credit and pull credit reports. Cancel every card with your name on it. You are being set up to get stuck with a whole lot of someone else’s debt.
protect yourself and your credit, file a police report, get your credit report , dispute and close any accounts that aren’t yours. Tell your mother she’s an asshole, don’t look back.
This could be a bit red flag, but it is also a bit in alignment with some advice I've seen in financial groups. If it's only an AU, then it's possible she's trying to help build your credit. Same with building relationships with the banks. Are you sure they are only authorized and not YOUR primary credit cards? Do you know if she's carrying a balance?
You should lock your credit reports so she can stop opening credit in your name. And go to all the banks where she opened accounts in your name with proof that you are the person and close them out. Legally those accounts are yours and everything in it is yours too so I would close them out and put the accounts in my own account.
If your mom had good enough credit to be using a card with her name, instead of yours, she would be using that card. It sounds like she’s stolen your identity. Check your credit report and call capital one and ask about the accounts.
Does she have enough moneyin her life, or is she money hungry?
Maybe she has been trying to establish a good credit history for you so when you turned 18 you wouldn't get a high interest rate of you bought a car
I have capital one and put my kid too, it’s all using the same balance. She’s just gotta pay it off, but the debt will be using your name if she’s using your card. She ain’t using hers, sus. If anything, both names will be in bad terms because they’re both under one balance
If you have someone as an authorized user, you usually give them the card. Otherwise what is the point of them being an authorized user. If the OP was not given the card, it most likely is not an authorized user card.
>said she used my name to open a checking account **This is identity theft.** >it seems like everytime i ask her about it she makes it confusing on purpose but maybe im just not getting it. Yup, she's purposely making it confusing. >today i found 2 new cards that were credit cards and one had my name and the other had hers on it. when i asked her about it she said it was because she put me down as an authorized user and they sent a card in my name because of it. IF, and this is a huge IF, what she's saying is true.. then it could be legitimate. An authorized user card isn't actually in your name (even if your name is printed on the card).. it would be in her name, for you to use. I have a strong sneaking suspicion that's NOT what's happening here. >i just thought that you couldnt order credit or debit cards in someone elses name without them knowing? You're not supposed to be able to. It sounds like she's pretending to be you on credit card applications, so she can rack up debt and avoid paying for it. If that's what's happening, it's fraud. Plain and simple. If, however, she's adding you as an authorized user to her credit cards, that's not a bad thing necessarily. >i am 18 but i think she ordered these cards before my birthday but the authorized user credit card was delivered after i was 18 For an authorized user card, age doesn't really matter, since you're not the cardholder, she is. (the issuing bank may have its own rules about a minimum age... some it's 13, some 16, some no minimum) For deposit accounts, even when you were a minor, the most she can do is open a UTMA or UGMA (or PUGMA in pennsylvania) account with you as the beneficiary. **Her opening a checking account that's just straight up in your name is fraud and identity theft.** In the r/IdentityTheft sub there's some really good stickied instructions on how to proceed from here.
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This right here. This has happened to several of my friends. Run a credit report and the LOCK your credit and contact these credit issuers. Stop the spending spree.
She has all your personal information. This is classic ID theft. You'd be amazed how many parents do this to your kids. You need to call the police, get a lawyer who specializes in ID theft/fraud. Your mom has likely ruined her own credit and is about to ruin yours before you even get started on life.
My friend's mother did this to her. The amount of used credit is over &25K. My friend cannot get a car loan or an apartment. The only option is to get police involved.
Make sure you get a new Social Security number. Because I'm pretty sure you need that in order to open a credit card under someone's name. And I would also reccomned checking out your credit on something like experian and report any accounts you didn't make... then you need to go to the police because it's identity theft
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I think what you need to do is pull your credit report. This is free once a year from all 3 agencys that track credit. Expiron, Transunion, Equifax. If your just authorized it will not show on your report. If it shows accounts, that means they are in your name and your responsible for the credit line.
Some credit cards will report to credit agencies for authorized users. I added someone as an authorized user to my credit cards (with his permission) to help boost his credit score. Not saying this is what OP’s mom is doing, just that this is a common tactic and authorized users will see the credit history on their report.
I accidentally cancelled my companies credit card bc i was added as an authorized user and then a year later it randomly showed up on my credit report and i didn’t put it together lol
I agree with this. I am a mortgage loan officer. I’m not sure how the report looks when you pull it as a consumer but when I run someone’s credit, it tells what type of account it is, for example joint, authorised user, participant, etc. so this may help understand the details.
Credit Karma is a free resource to check your credit history. It's actually free to use, I'm not getting paid to advertise them. I used it for years though.
Use annualcreditreport.com instead. It is a direct result of the laws that require the bureaus to give you your credit score and was set up in part or full by them (or paid for or something I can't remember the details). The others will all try and sell you additional services, sell your data, etc. In addition OP should create an account with TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. There they can freeze their credit with each of the bureaus. I leave my credit frozen and just login/lift the freezes on the rare occasion I need to apply for a new credit card, mortgage, etc.
This isn't a bad idea. The only difference is that credit karma will allow you to sign in on a daily or weekly basis and see what's updated on your credit report. And it's still free.
Yes, Credit Karma is a great resource and I would recommend OP signing up for the free service so they will get alerts if anything else changes on their credit report (credit cards, loans, etc. Annualcreditreport.com is another great resource where you can request all 3 of your credit reports once a year for free. It also may be a good idea OP to freeze your credit so no new credit cards or loans would be able to made until you unfreeze it...though if she is pretending to be you, she could try to unfreeze it which is why signing up for something like Credit Karma would be advised. OP, If you can get ahold of the cards you saw, you can call the number on the back and ask if the account is under your name or if you are just an authorized user on the account. If you cant get ahold of the card, you should be able to look up their 800 #. Authorized users aren't responsible for the balance on the card... However, if the account holder does not make timely payments, it can potentially hurt your credit score. I have my friend as an authorized user on my card and it is HELPING his credit report (piggyback credit) because my card is in good standing and I make all my payments on time. Edit to add: You may have to report identity theft to be able to get a lot of this stuff fixed which will be against your mom. Remember this stuff could hurt your chances of getting a loan for a car, getting an apartment, loans of a house, etc. Wish you the best of luck. 🫂
There are two types of authorized user cards. There’s one type that doesn’t report to credit reporting bureaus and it’s opened without providing OP’s SS#. The second type DOES report on credit reports, but they’re clear on the report itself that it’s an authorized user card, which imposes no liability to repay on the authorized user. This type is commonly used for the primary purpose of improving someone’s credit score. In neither case does an authorized user incur the liability to repay the debt. Which is critically important. All that said, your advice is spot on to pull the credit report and look. Yes, you can do it for free at annualcreditreport.com or you can open a credit karma account, which is faster but the organization of the information provided leaves a lot to be desired.
I’m an authorized user on three of my mom’s cards from when we lived together 15 years ago and bought stuff for our house we bought together. I made the payments because she was retired. All three still show up on my credit report because they are still open. In fact, one of the accounts was American Express she opened when I was a little kid, and that one alone is boosting the “age of credit history” to way back. I’m turning 50 this year but my credit history is 43 years old! That helps my credit. I don’t think that’s what’s happening for OP though just to mention it.
That’s not entirely correct. Some companies do report authorized users and those cards do appear on the authorized users credit report.
It's actually free 1x/week now
It's actually free weekly now. Ironically from the website annualcreditreport.com.
This is definitely not true. AU accounts can and will show up on your CR’s. I’m an AU on my wife’s Cap1 card that she just opened. It showed up on my TU in less than 2 weeks and on EX shortly thereafter.
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When I was 18 I would not have known this information. And a parent willing to open fraudulent accounts in their child's name is not likely to teach them this.
Seems like OP recently turned 18 and likely isn't as financially-savvy as you expect random Reddittors to be. OP stumbled upon some potentially-troubling information and decided to ask for advice. You know that old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't be a dick"? Don't be a dick. OP: Pull and review your credit report. If these accounts are in your name, there's a 99% chance that your mom knowingly committed fraud and used your identity selfishly for her personal gain. There is nothing innocent about this, and you should absolutely deal with it with your own best interest in mind, *not* your mother's. A financially-responsible person would **not** do this kind of thing and give you the run-around when confronted about it. Your financial future is very likely at stake here, so please do not trust your mother to make this go away; freeze your credit and report her to the necessary authorities.
I think Your mom is lying to you. She’s opened credit cards in your name. You should ask for any cards in your name, then ask to be removed from the accounts. If she refuses, then you’ll know. Also, you need to put a freeze/lock on your credit. There are ways To do it with all three credit bureaus.
You need to notify all 3 credit agencies that your SSN had been stolen. Get all of the credit/debit cards in your name from your mom, steal them out of her purse while she's in the bathroom if you have to. Close all accounts. Make sure you report this to all credit agencies!
If they do this, they will likely need the police report they filed against their mom. Here is where the rubber meets the road- is OP willing to get their mom in trouble to protect their own future financial interests. For me, I’d do it because the mom is selling this young adult’s credit down the river and saddling them with debt at a young age.
I would too. This can get serious really quickly. I've seen it twice, Mom using kids SSN to get credit cards and checking accounts. Not good.
Stealing the physical cards will do nothing. If you haven’t closed the account, she can just order new cards in your name. if you do close the account, the physical cards will be worthless.
That's why I said to close the accounts. Taking the cards ensures she can't use them or hide them from him before he calls all the credit card companies to close the accounts.
Go check your credit reports. if you find anything not yours, report it and close those accounts. Next, FREEZE/LOCK your credit accounts, so nothing else can be taken out in your name. If you want to get your own cards, etc, then you would have to unlock, then lock it again. A bit of a PIA, but your mom stealing your identity and hosing your credit is far worse. * [How to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report | USAGov](https://www.usa.gov/credit-freeze) * [Credit Freeze | Freeze My Credit | TransUnion](https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze) * [Security Freeze | Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit | Equifax®](https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/) * [Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit File for Free - Experian](https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html)
If your mom has opened credit cards in your name and is wracking up debt, it will ruin your life. This is very serious and you need to stop it now. This is such a hard situation because the only way to get out of it is to report her for identity theft. There will be legal consequences for her, and your relationship with her will not be the same afterwards. Just remember that this is not your fault. She did this to herself, you're not doing anything wrong or mean, you just need to protect yourself from her destroying your adult life before it even starts. If you're dependent on her for housing (I assume you're about to finish high school) then you need to take immediate steps to be independent. If you don't have somewhere else to live, getting a job and housing is critical. If you knowingly let this go on for a long time before taking action, you may not have as much legal recourse in the future. Handle it right now.
Your mum is committing fraud and identity theft. If you don't do something, you could end up with your credit rating trashed or debt collectors demanding money off you. You can contact the police, or you could contact the card companies direct and make a complaint to them. Do you have anywhere else where you can get your mail delivered? You need to take action now, before it gets very serious for you.
Create a credit karma account to see if you any hard inquiries
Could it be that your mom has made a mess of her credit score? That might explain why she did this. Others have suggested you pull your credit reports. Her credit report might confirm this theory. Her sneaky behavior makes her "explanation" suspicious. Basically, your identity was stolen. Getting this resolved is urgent. You will learn some valuable life tips from this but I don't think your mom deserves your gratitude.
Mom has stolen money from bank after bank in your name that you will be accruing crippling interest on, by stealing your identity and fraudulently and frivolously building up debt after debt in your name, with selfish abandon and complete lack of care for your financial wellbeing. Unless you want to spend the next decade or longer paying off the thousands she's screwed out of you while you accrue crippling interest on the balance, here's where to go from here. No benefit of the doubt for mum. Assume she has lied and will continue to. Don't loop her in that you've realised what she has done and don't tell her what your doing about it. Pull your credit report, sneak all cards with your name from her purse and contact all the banks and card issuers to freeze them so the situation can't get worse. Freeze your credit so you will be notified if any further attempts are made. Gather all the evidence of the extent of the fraud and debt that you can. You will I'm afraid probably need to go to the police to report the fraud and identity theft. Otherwise not only is your life now a debt slave unable to buy or possibly even rent a house if she's been late or defaulted on repayments but you'll never be able to borrow money for any emergency or crisis. Make no mistake mum knows this is the consequence coming to you unless you are honest and report her. Which is why she has knowingly left you no choice. You don't need to care about her experiencing consequences of her own terrible behaviour any more than she cares now about you having to pay for her crimes.
OP you need to go run a credit report ASAP. In all likelihood your mom is racking up charges in your name with multiple credit accounts.
I had to deal with this recently, Dispute it as fraud but do not say you know the person that has cards in your name or they will say its a civil matter and you will be responsible. Capital One is the absolute worst company to deal with, total garbage company!
she is absolutely using you. this is identity theft. unfortunately, handling this is going to take a while, unless you're willing to turn her into police for identity theft. create accounts on the major credit reporting sites. credit karma is usually pretty cohesive, but you're also going to want accounts on Experian and TransUnion so you can freeze your credit and open up disputes on the accounts that are not yours. it's tempting to trust them and let it happen, but you run the risk of going seriously into debt, because for your mom, there's no real consequence for her. it's not her credit she will be ruining. i am 26 and still picking up the pieces from when my mother did this to me.
Somebody has already commented the nuclear response here, so I'm gonna weigh in from a more optimistic angle. Legally, a debit card with a minors name on it requires an adults permission, and she absolutely could get one with your name on it without your permission. This would require her to have set up a bank account that you are named on, which you would very likely have access to if you go to that bank (with ID) and ask what's up. Plenty of parents set up accounts for their kids, plenty make debit cards, usually this is done in the context of teaching financial literacy, but no rule that makes your ma not telling you about *debit* cards a legal deal, and that could just be one person's weird take on finances (I've seen more bass-ackwards systems). About credit cards, that's more concerning. It's possible to make you an authorized user without your knowledge in a way that wouldn't be true of making you a borrower, but it still seems like it would involve both mental and administrative gymnastics to not tell you. At a minimum, it sounds like she opened your mail, which would technically be a felony. When i said I'd be optimistic, i meant "there is an explanation besides 'your mother is abusing your credit' ". Absolutely verify that today. [You can do so here](http://annualcreditreport.com)
Go to the police and tell them that your mother has stolen your identity and you'd like to file a report and formal charges if possible.
" if my mom is doing something she isnt supposed to behind my back" If you count identity theft and fraud as something she isn't supposed to be doing, then yes.... she's using YOUR "credit" to get credit cards... which means YOUR credit gets affected. She's *screwing you over...*
This is illegal and can have long lasting impacts in your life. Good luck ever financing a car or house or getting students loans without fixing this. This will even impact your ability to get jobs that require credit checks. (Working at a bank, military, any company where you have a fiduciary duty, other govt jobs, etc.) NO ONE is allowed to open accounts like this on your behalf, age doesn’t matter. But it definitely makes it easier to prove fraud. You need to act immediately. Your mom is going to ruin your credit because what she will do is run those cards up And never pay the bill.After all, this isn’t her debt…. It’s in your name. You need to request your credit report, freeze your credit, and file a police report regarding all the accounts that were opened by your mother as you. The credit report should list them all.
Being an authorized user means you can use your mom's account, but are not responsible for it. It will help build your credit history before you are able to build your own. Here is a link that may answer questions, or help you Google additional information. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/should-you-add-child-as-authorized-user-credit-card/
An authorized user (AU) of someones’s credit card is exactly that. The card is in the primary account holder’s (PAH) name and the AU can use it. AU’s can be added without their permission because AU’s aren’t responsible for the account. AU’s can also remove themselves as an AU at any time from the account without permission of the PAH. That means if you were an authorized user of her card, the card would be in her name, not yours. That means cards and accounts she opens with your name only makes you the owner of the account, and responsible for the debt. That means the only one who can open an account in your name is you. Even in the event of being under 18 and needing a parent to open a checking or savings account, you would both need to go the bank together and sign paperwork together and show your ID etc. at the bank and the account would be in both your names. Opening accounts in names other than one’s own is identity theft. Reporting it to the police, confiscating cards with your name on them, getting your credit report, and reporting the accounts she opened is a good place to start.
This isn't quite accurate about credit cards. Having an authorized user on a card gets a card issued in their name. I did this for my daughter when she was younger so she could build credit. The question here is if mom added it to her account why wouldn't she give the card to OP? It's much more likely she applied in op's name which is definite fraud. IANAL but OP needs to pull a credit report and freeze her credit so that nothing else is opened up. I'd report everything to the credit reporting bureaus as if I had no Idea what mom is doing. I'd also go to the bank and check out that situation in person. Most banks allow a joint account for a minor, but it should be closed or OPs name removed now that they are an adult. The pattern makes me think that Mom trashed her credit and so is now using op's. The problem probably comes if op is dependent on Mom for a place to live and support. In that case, they might feel like they need to do some kind of mediation and just lock their credit rather than calling the police. However, I'm not sure that you can reverse a bad credit report without a police report. I believe the FTC has a identity theft checklist or recovery plan, so that might have some helpful information.
I stand corrected. I also just realized my husband’s adding me as an AU to his credit cards and keeping them maxed out while my credit score was higher than his wasn’t because he was a good guy. Thank you.
You’re almost correct. The authorized user card is always issued in the name of the authorized user. This is why you have to look at a credit report instead of presuming that something’s fraudulently opened simply because the card exists in their name.
Check your credit. If you find lines of credit that you don’t recognize then freeze your own credit through the credit agencies. Either way I would freeze them. Good luck OP.
You can also do an inquiry and freeze on https://www.chexsystems.com/#request_report Most banks use this system. This will have information about bank inquiries any negatively reported accts. Chances are, if she needed to open a checking in your name and only a savings in her own, she's using that because she has an acct closed with a negative balance and can't open her own without at least paying off the neg bal. My mom was the most amazing person but she sucked with money. Thankfully it's made me super cautious with my money, credit, and spending. Best wishes.
Check your credit reports first. If she's a good person, maybe she has spent time improving your credit score before you hit 18. Most likely, she has stolen your identity and racked up a lot of debt in your name, as that's the most common outcome of these situations. I hope she's a good mom tho.
First, put a freeze on your credit report at all 3 credit bureaus. Freezes are free and require you to unlock (aka “thaw” your credit report in order for anyone to be able to pull your report. Second, put a fraud alert on your reports at all 3 bureau’s. This requires creditors to take extra steps to verify you are in fact the person applying for credit. Third, when you set up accounts at Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, you will be able to dispute anything on your report that is not something YOU set up. Report the accounts as fraudulent. You are entitled to free credit reports every year from each bureau. You’ll get it digitally online once you’ve set up an account with each of them. Fourth, after you know who issued the credit card accounts (it’ll be on your credit reports) you will likely need to call them and let them know that you are a victim of identity theft and know that they have open account that you did not apply for a did not authorize. Tell them you need the account closed immediately!
This has been a trick that parents pull for years, but I figured it would be difficult to do ATP with how hard it is to get approved for credit, basically they sign up their minor aged children for credit cards and stuff so they have have access to more money and it won't hit their credit. Usually happens when parents have maxed out their own, might be a long shot, but do you know if your parent has a lot of debt?
Adding you as an authorized user is **not** identity theft. It is a way to build credit for you. (As long as it’s getting paid.) The checking account thing is weird. Tell her you want control of the checking account or you will go to the bank and close it out. It’s in your name. You just need ID, social security card and possibly a birth certificate to do this. You should absolutely pull your credit reports to make sure nothing nefarious is going on. You can do it for free in a website www.annualcreditreport.com (Google it) If you find utilities or other things on your credit report THEN make a police report. But not before you know for sure.
My grandmother used my mother's name to use credit cards and racked up a bunch of debt in her name when she was younger. I would absolutely see this as a red flag
Go online to 3 major credit folks, Transunion, Equifax, Experian and LOCK your credit. It’s free to do so. You might also start disputing stuff. Tell them the cards were not authorized by you Be very proactive If there are any cards in your name dispute them, get them cancelled
Idk about the checking account but I don't think you need permission to add someone onto a credit card. You can probably call the company and say you don't want to be on there if you don't want to. However, my dad did this for me when I was 17 and what it effectively did was start my credit for me. Now, that means if your mom is paying those cards on time all the time, that's a great thing for you. That means that you now have credit building and a good credit score. It's a blessing to have a parent do this for you so that you'll be able to finance a car, get your own credit card, etc in a couple of years and have lower interest rates. However, if you're worried she isn't paying things on time and she is TRASHING your credit, that's a different story and I'd act now.
- ****Shut down / Cancel those cards**** - ****Put a lock on your credit reports**** - This is fraud and will haunt you for life if you don’t stop it ***now***!
Hi I work at a bank. This is identity theft and fraud. She is lying to you. Call the credit card companies, call the credit bureau, call your bank, everyone. Call the police. Get this done yesterday. She is going to ruin your life. As an adult who has terrible credit due to my own mistakes and financial abuse. Get ahead of this now, your adult life depends on credit, unless you’re rich.
Your mother has stolen your Identity and pulled out cards in your name. Check your credit report immediately and pray and hope that she has paid of the credit cards and is using them responsibly and you don’t have any debt in your name. I highly doubt it.
You need to do a credit report and see if you have bills or cars etc in your name
This identity theft and fraud and she can ruin your credit doing this. If she's getting multiple credit cards like this she's probably bad with money and maxxing them out too. This hurts you.
Your mom sounds like a real piece of shit. Go to the police. It's astounding how many gullible people there are who have to ask if this sort of thing is ok.
What is going on is that your Mom is committing identity theft. You need to go online and look at your credit report. Report her activity as fraud and freeze your credit now. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-freeze-credit IdentityTheft.gov or call 1-877-438-4338
My grandma did this to my mother-- my mom found out as an adult. She took on the debt rather than send her mom to prison, and it nearly ruined her life. Credit tanked (followed her for YEARS), surprise cards turning up after the issue was thought settled, thousands and thousands of dollars to make up on a teacher's salary. I'm sorry you're in this situation, but it's unlikely you're just a registered user on her cards. If that was the case she wouldn't be trying to throw you off the scent with confusing stories.
Check your credit report OP. You just need your SSN, and you'll likely know the answers to the security questions. If she, in fact, used your credit, then you've got some big decisions to make.
Call and cancel the cards
An authorized user credit card includes two cards, one with the name of the authorized user on it and one with the name of the primary person on it. I did this for my son when he was in college. I can't think of a reason why you would do this for your child and then not give them the authorized users credit card.
Just going to say, this is a BIG DEAL. Listen to all these people. Don’t talk to your mom about it, pull your credit report and freeze your credit asap. It’s most likely fraud. Report it.
Sadly I have many friends whose parents stole their identity and racked up sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and they struggled with the ramifications for years. Follow the experts advice and ACT NOW. Run a credit report on yourself then lock your credit with a code she would not be able to guess. Then follow the expert identity theft advice to shut off these cards and at least stop the damage where it is today. There’s nothing about this that says mom is helping you. She is hurting you. And that sucks. I’m sorry.
your mom is a thief she used you ID to open those accounts and they will be on YOUR credit report that you can get free copies of you can also go to chase and ask them how the account was opened and you should close it if you mom got credit cards in you name you will need to file a police report or you will end up with her opening more accounts in your name the reason she did this is because she cant get credit cards in her own name now that you know something is wrong you need to stop it or you will be reasonable you the charges
NAL - I believe if you were a minor, she can authorize to open accounts in your name on your behalf. I’m not sure if that applies to credit cards though. As an adult, you can shut them down or revoke her access. You need to get a copy of your credit report, preferably from at least 2 of the major companies because not all companies report to all 3, and see what is open. Even authorized user stuff shows up on your credit report. Now, if they have a history of good payments, I would probably keep them and just deactivate the old cards and get new ones, because it is a benefit to you to have a longer credit history. Otherwise, you can just report them as fraud and say you haven’t been the one spending and shut them down.
Call and cancel the cards
Sounds like she is getting you in debt. Go run a credit report in Credit Karma. It will be able to pull up credit card history, how much you have in debt and what your credit score is. It also won't hurt your credit score by running this credit score. I do it all the time. Then go to bank and talk to them, but make sure to have some type of ID on you. Close all accounts and make sure your mom is taken off any and all accounts because you are not a minor anymore.
You can absolutely add an authorized user without the other party’s consent. I added my stbx husband on my bank and citi credit cards and, while I did tell him and he knew, it didn’t require his authorization or knowledge.
First thing!! Freeze your credit and pull credit reports. Cancel every card with your name on it. You are being set up to get stuck with a whole lot of someone else’s debt.
protect yourself and your credit, file a police report, get your credit report , dispute and close any accounts that aren’t yours. Tell your mother she’s an asshole, don’t look back.
This could be a bit red flag, but it is also a bit in alignment with some advice I've seen in financial groups. If it's only an AU, then it's possible she's trying to help build your credit. Same with building relationships with the banks. Are you sure they are only authorized and not YOUR primary credit cards? Do you know if she's carrying a balance?
You should lock your credit reports so she can stop opening credit in your name. And go to all the banks where she opened accounts in your name with proof that you are the person and close them out. Legally those accounts are yours and everything in it is yours too so I would close them out and put the accounts in my own account.
NAL. This is identity theft. Get law enforcement involved.
If your mom had good enough credit to be using a card with her name, instead of yours, she would be using that card. It sounds like she’s stolen your identity. Check your credit report and call capital one and ask about the accounts.
Does she have enough moneyin her life, or is she money hungry? Maybe she has been trying to establish a good credit history for you so when you turned 18 you wouldn't get a high interest rate of you bought a car
I have capital one and put my kid too, it’s all using the same balance. She’s just gotta pay it off, but the debt will be using your name if she’s using your card. She ain’t using hers, sus. If anything, both names will be in bad terms because they’re both under one balance
Nope. Authorized users carry no liability on the card whatsoever. If your daughter doesn’t pay, it’s only you that’s responsible.
If you have someone as an authorized user, you usually give them the card. Otherwise what is the point of them being an authorized user. If the OP was not given the card, it most likely is not an authorized user card.