What can I do if a friend let me use their SSN to open an account but now they are taking legal action against me?
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What can I do if a friend let me use their SSN to open an account but now they are taking legal action against me?
A friend gave me there SSN so that I could open an account, as a result I opened several accounts.
Asked on July 4, 2011 under Criminal Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You should get a defense attorney--immediately. The friend taking legal action against you, presumably for fraud or some kind, is probably the least of your problems, at least if you did not in fact defraud the friend out of a lot of money. If you did not in some way take money from or belonging to the friend, he may not be able to sue you for much. What could be much more of a problem is that opening an account under a false SSN--i.e. any number not your own--is bank fraud and can potentially result in several years imprisonment as a penalty. You could face criminal prosecution as well as a civil lawsuit. You should therefore retain an attorney right away, so the attorney can prepare to defend you and also advise you as to how to minimize the liabiltyou could face. *Never* do this again--it's very dangerous.
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