This will probably be a new one on everyone...

I'd be eternally grateful for any help or advice at all. I'm at the point where I can't see a way out and don't know where to turn or what to do.

I realised at the end of July that my cards were being used excessively for gambling on Betfair. They jumped from being used for groceries occassionally to having almost £16,000 spread across 2 credit cards and a debit card.

I didn't know what to do. I knew it wasn't me, and as my husband has passed away, the only other person in the house was my son. He's got a severe neurological condition that has rendered him housebound for the past 3 years. He's only 15.

I sat my son down, and calmly showed him the credit card bill, and before I had even said anything he broke down in tears and admitted to doing it. He was wailing uncontrollably and of course I started too but reassured him that everything was going to be alright.......Unfortunately, I lied.

I'm a single parent, and working at a £20k a year job. I didn't know how I could pay it.

All my cards were over the limit, and my current account was in the red for the first time ever in my life.

Firstly I asked my son why he did this.....He said he didn't know. I pressured him a bit more, and he told me that he was bored and depressed at being housebound, and one day whilst I was at work went onto Betfair and signed into the account I have (That was used once for a bonus and never used again, My biggest gamble ever was £4 on the Grand National one year!).

I asked him how he got onto the account and he said that he knew I used the same password for everything....So stupid. .

Through tears he told me that he deposited £20 and then he lost it, and didn't want me to find out that he had lost my money, so he deposited £20 this time to try to get the original deposit back....Of course he lost this too. This started a vicious cycle of trying to get the money back and losing. He got out of control.

He NEVER had any of my cards. He told me that when depositing Betfair asked him for the "Security Code" and he just entered any random 3 numbers, yet they allowed him to deposit! And I have since tried this with a £5 deposit, and it does indeed allow any random 3 numbers to be entered.

Back to the stupid me part - As I was over the limit on all my cards and in the red in my current account, I got a £10,000 loan. Which in hindsight I realise was a stupid thing to do.

As it stands I am left with £6,800 on Credit Cards + a £10,000 loan to pay off and I don't know how I can do it on a £20,000 a year wage.

I find myself constantly crying, and my son is also severely depressed and ashamed about it. Life is absoloute hell for both of us currently.

I'm just praying that some people can please give me some advice, is there any legal route we could go down? Or just, what is the best plan of action.

We've both had too many nights of crying ourselves to sleep and I just don't feel I can go on much longer.

Thank you so much in advance.

Haz