mother ruined credit

[nmtrouble]

My mother had me get a credit card when I was in college. I used the card and so did my sister. All of the bills were sent to her(Mother's) house and were being paid by her. About a year after I had the card, she was mad at me and made me give it to my sister who kept using it for another 6 months. The credit card was maxed out and my mother informed me I had to pay for the whole thing. I told her I would get copies of the card reciepts and show the signatures were not mine. A few months later I found out she had stopped making payments on the card. I had no way of knowing since she had always made the payments. Now my credit is shot and I can't even get electricity in my name. Of course I cancelled the card and informed my mother I knew what she had done. She let me know she would pay the card off. I have no credit. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Tracey]

Because you gave the card to your sister, you impliedly gave her permission to use the card. You made a huge mistake when you gave someone else a card in YOUR name, regardless of whether mom was supposed to pay the bills.

If you can, get mom's acknowledgment that she is responsible for paying off the card in full in writing. Then sue mom & use the money to pay the CC company on the condition that they file a report that the account was paid in full. Don't rely on her word. Obviously she goes back on it whenever it suits her. Then file your own version of what happened with the credit reporting companies. That way anyone pulling your credit report will see the whole story. This won't always be enough for them to extend credit, but it might at lest get them to ask you about it.

In the future, try to behave a little less niavely and a lot more ethically than mom.

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This is not legal advice and you are not my client. Double check everything with your own attorney and your state's laws.