Debt HELL - finances ruined - what are my options?

[Pannicked]

What is the name of your state? Georgia.

I am in a couple of financial situations right now and have a few questions if you have any advice.

Situation 1: Recently, I got a free credit report and found a Discover card (joint account, that had my name on it) and a hefty balance. turns out it was my mom that got the card.

I have since called discover about it, they said they have taken my name off of the card (and sent that in writing to me).

questions: does this mean the balance has been taken care of and that it is her problem to take care of (I have no idea if it has been, just that my name is off and the collections agencies haven't contacted me about it)? someone told me that what she did was identity theft. could I still press charges even though my name is off the card?
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Situation 2:

I had an American Express card (joint account with my mom) that mom got for me around the same time as the discover card. she did not tell me she got it until she handed me the card and told me to buy whatever i needed for the family (dad had left around that time). regretably, i bought a few things on the card (nothing more than $680, though). i got my name off the card in February this year - American Express told me that I am removed from the card. I have not repaid the $700 balance that I ran up to my mom.

the card has been since turned over to collections and the balance is now over 6000+. my mom has not taken care of it at all (was 5,000 in June). I have no idea what she could have bought with the 5000+.

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

In the voice of a Georgia woman, with a heavy "twang" accent:

"Once I got her credit card, I hit the ritziest home shoppin' channel on T.V.!

I got two Black Hills gold ankle bracelets, stirrup pants . . . Oh! And a set of those press-on nails with diamonds built right in!

Now, I know it's wrong . . . but, I do not care!

I feel like the prettiest girl (sniff, sniff) . . . in the whole trailer park."



IAAL

 

[Pannicked]

In the voice of a Georgia woman, with a heavy "twang" accent:

"Once I got her credit card, I hit the ritziest home shoppin' channel on T.V.!

I got two Black Hills gold ankle bracelets, stirrup pants . . . Oh! And a set of those press-on nails with diamonds built right in!

Now, I know it's wrong . . . but, I do not care!

I feel like the prettiest girl (sniff, sniff) . . . in the whole trailer park."



IAAL

Are you talking about my mom or me? Honestly, my entire debt would have been about 200 dollars if she didn't give me the go-ahead to put a payment on a car. Then again, yes I am liable for that. Yes, I see that.

 

[Pannicked]

In the voice of a Georgia woman, with a heavy "twang" accent:

"Once I got her credit card, I hit the ritziest home shoppin' channel on T.V.!

I got two Black Hills gold ankle bracelets, stirrup pants . . . Oh! And a set of those press-on nails with diamonds built right in!

Now, I know it's wrong . . . but, I do not care!

I feel like the prettiest girl (sniff, sniff) . . . in the whole trailer park."



IAAL

And I'm liable for the Discover card, too? Even if I didn't know about it?

Well, attorneys fees are going to be pretty steep then. BTW That doesn't sound like a Georgia woman at all!

 

[Ladynred]

Are you certain you're JOINT on these cards and not just an authorized user ??
Sounds like the Discover could be just an AU, otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to take you off the card so easily.

AMEX is nasty to deal with and if you're truly Joint on that card, you're going to have trouble with them.

 

[Pannicked]

Are you certain you're JOINT on these cards and not just an authorized user ??
Sounds like the Discover could be just an AU, otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to take you off the card so easily.

AMEX is nasty to deal with and if you're truly Joint on that card, you're going to have trouble with them.

Actually, it DOES say AU on my credit report! Is Identity Theft still an issue (or maybe it never was)?

On the Amex portion of the report, it says that "Whose Account - Association Terminated". Would that mean anything?

 

[Ladynred]

If you were an AU only on the Discover account, then ID theft may not be an issue, but you could still pursue it. You'd have to file a police report and report it to the bureaus as ID theft to make it stick.

Not sure what that notation from AMEX means, does it say the same thing on all 3 reports ? If you were just an AU on that one too, then at worst you are only liable for the charges you DID make.

 

[DrewfromCA]

I hate to break it to you, but it was probably a joint account, and if your mother won't pay, you will have to. Authorized users do not give their SSNs, and it is obvious that the credit card companies got yours.

Example... I have a CC, and I let my company know that I want my wife to be an authorized user of the card, and give them her name. They add her name only to the account(no need for an SSN), and send another card with her name on it. Done. Of course, I am responsible for any charges on the card. (Of course, we are married, but you get the point)

Try to work out a payment plan or if you absolutely can't, then think about bankruptcy. Don't think your parents will bail you out, because it sounds like they don't really care...

 

[Ladynred]

Just because they have his SSN now doesn't mean it was used to get this AMEX card. While its true that your SSN is the big 'key' for credit reporting, its NOT the only thing they use and things can go on your CR w/o a SSN. Besides, they screw up SSN's all the time and many people wind up with several SSN's being reported, so its hardly accurate. My reports had 2 SSN's and my sister's reports listed FOUR. Fortuantly neither of us were the victims of ID theft, someone reported a typo or misread a number. All bogus SSN's were easily removed.

So, find out from AMEX EXACTLY how you're listed on the account and go from there.

 

[Pannicked]

I can't even remember if I signed off on the AMEX (it was only a year ago). I never received a Discover card, I had no idea that my mom had one until I got a credit report. It probably won't even matter.

 

[teflon_jones]

if they allowed you to take your name off both accounts, then you were only an authorized user. if it was a joint account, the only way to get your name off of the account would be to pay off the entire balance and close the account. so you're only liable for the charges you made on the cards. it sounds like your credit report correctly notes that you were only an authorized user of these cards. you can send a letter to the credit reporting bureau asking them to remove them from your report on the basis that you were never an account holder, and are no longer an authorized user, and see what they say. i'm not sure of the rules governing whether this can appear on your credit report or not.

 

[Pannicked]

One more question, though - and I appreciate everyone's help in this.

I filed a police report in August for Identity Theft.

What if it turns out that it wasn't identity theft after all? Based on the information that you guys gave me, I have a feeling that if I was an authorized user - it wasn't identity theft.

And if it wasn't, does that means I filed a "false" police report?

I don't think I filed a false report, although I do have that fear. I didn't know at the time what Authorized User meant (that is, assuming Authorized User doesn't qualify anyone to file a report for ident. theft). I filed it because someone advised that I should, and because the Discover card was showing up on my credit report. I wasn't aware of the card - and that my mom used my name to get a card.