What to do if my father opened credit cards in my name, has not paid on the debt and now I’m being sueda the credit card company?
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What to do if my father opened credit cards in my name, has not paid on the debt and now I’m being sueda the credit card company?
What can I do to remove this debt from my name and avoid further legal action?
Asked on August 23, 2011 New Jersey
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You'll have to establish to the credit card company that *you* were not the one who opened these accounts or took out these cards. That in turn means telling them that your father committed a form of fraud and/or theft. They will probably require that you contact the authorities, report your father, and look to press charges against him--they do this to make sure that what was done was in fact completely unauthorized, and that this is not simply an attempt to get out of a just or valid debt. Thus, if you're going to claim to them that this wasn't you need to be prepared to go all the way and treat this as the criminal matter that it, in point of fact, is. You can't do it halfway, so think about whether you are willing to accept the consequences before taking this step.
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