Help Needed with Identity Theft By a Family Member

chnelomi

I really feel for you in this situation my OH and I were in this situation a couple of years back with a member of his family,his sister was intercepting the mail and stealing letters and checks etc. started as a one off that we put down to Royal Mail losing it in the post(thought nothing of her suddenly having money for a holiday).

Then money started leaving our bank account that we couldn't explain and check cashing companies where making withdrawals, we contacted the bank asking how check's were getting cashed when we didn't have a check book to find out that we did, and it was supposedly me that asked for it in writing. Loads of other things happened too(catalogs in both our names etc).

eventually she admitted it and we had to change all of our financies to my address.(we didn't live together).We made a payment plan to get our money back but only ever got one payment as she couldn't afford to pay it back.

Then my FIL took ill and i was in sorting bills for him Ctax BT etc and found dept letters for my deceased MIL for depts taken after her death as well as false names. after contacting them and a couple of other companies we found out she was using FIL's address for Credit cards(even though she didnt work)catalogues Mobile phones and Jewlery. took us nearly two years to stop the debt collectors hasseling us all.

in the end all that happened to her was community service and she must have stole thousands and i honestly believe she is still doing it under a different address as the court never considered all of the debts, for lack of evidence.

I know it's your mother but this could cause you so many problems in the future when I tried to get a mobile phone i couldn't get a contract for nearly a year. To this day when i contact my bank via post they still call to confirm the contents of the letter. And one thing that gets me is her attitude that no one was hurt and it was hardly crime of the century makes my blood boil. You need to report things to keep yourself right and protected otherwise she may turn her back on the debt and leave you with it.

Hope it works out in the end.

donnac2558

Your mother is an addict and nothing will help until she sees she does need help and goes to gamblers anonymous. You need to see if she is willing to go and damn well go with her. Otherwise this will continue, she will steal and sell her soul to continue to fund her habit.

What happens if this is quietly swept under the carpet and she commits big time fraud? Better to face the sh*t hitting the fan now and letting her face the cold hard facts of what she has done. Cut every chance of her using your name to obtain anymore credit straight away.

view

never-in-doubt wrote: »

and how do you know this exactly.....

(lol just kidding - i'm implying you;re an addict! lol) :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

No, I'm not.

I do know that Aquapay is payment for a gambling site by simply searching the top right hand button http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=208462

or you could type aquapay into google - thousands of search pages come up

ChrisMc90_2

Hi, thought I would pop on and give an update. Sorry it's been ages haven't had much time on my hands. I've been up to the Citizens Advice a few times, but they haven't been very helpful. I had my mail redirected a few weeks ago to my girlfriends house to ensure I actually received it, as I have long since suspected that my mum was intercepting it.

From my experian credit report I have learned that there are 2 loans with Provident Personal Credit in my name, a defaulted RBS credit card that I never knew about, and an outstanding balance on a BT account that was in my name, that has since being defaulted been passed on to CCS for collection.

She also opened an account with talk talk in my name, which I found out about when I was debited for payment. I foned them and was advised to write to head office, so have done so. I'm now waiting on a reply. I also visited the bank earlier this week and explained the situation. They are now looking into the application that was made for the card, to find out whether I am liable or not. I'm going back on Monday to see what they have found. I also asked if I could change my account details in order to prevent my mum setting up more stuff i my name, and they have said they will be able to help with that, which I am pleased with.

I'm also intending to go back to the Citizens Advice on Monday and ask them to contact Provident, CCS, BT and 1st Credit on my behalf, and see if anything can be done.

I confronted my mum about everything on Thursday and she's said that she will try and give me money to help pay everything, but I don't know if she will follow this through, which is why I'm still intending to try and get these debts out of my name. I also don't want my credit to be affected for things she's done. I'm taking her to the local Gambler's Anonymous meeting on Monday though so I think progress is being made. I will get back as and when any more happens.

fiveyearplan

Hi Chris. I'm glad she is going to go to Gambler's Anonymous and that you are going with her. I hope you are able to get through this without your credit being affected.

Thanks for the update.

iolanthe07

What your mum has done to you is absolutely unforgivable and, actually, criminal. You must be a very special person and a great son to help her through this.

jpwjpw

iolanthe07 wrote: »

What your mum has done to you is absolutely unforgivable and, actually, criminal. You must be a very special person and a great son to help her through this.

It's terrible that she's done this but I don't believe its "unforgivable". She is still his mother, she does need to admit what she's done, admit its wrong and seek help. I would, however, be half tempted to get the police involved, its tough but may help her to come to terms with the seriousness of what she's done and get professional help.
If she "gets away" with it this time, whats to stop the temptation next time she has an urge to gamble?

[Deleted User]

I'm sorry...forgive me if I'm being stupid, but I just don't see how this can all add up?

She's taken out two loans...and a credit card...and run up huge debts...

Surely for these you require photographic ID? When I took my loan out they always required a passport/driving licence as evidence.

I do feel for the original poster, but I'm uneasy with this discussion: you can't 'just' take a loan out in someone else's name: there has to be a failure of the checks and balances at some point, right?

If not, then I fail to see how you can be held accountable for the loan providing you notify the lenders straight away. They failed to check satisfactorily the identification of the applicant, so they would bear the brunt of the loss, I'm assuming?

[Deleted User]

This is the bit I'm unseasy with:

I was reluctant but after she got really upset I agreed, and took the overdraft. She said initially that she only needed £500, but instead she took the whole overdraft of £1250, then proceeded to take a £2500 loan in my name from the RBS. From then till August of last year she would empty my account whenever money was paid in till the overdraft was maxed out.

Re: the overdraft...you were persuaded by her to give her £500, correct? In which case - even though I sympathise with your situation - you're liable for that loss.

She then took £1250...can you clarify your wording here? You make it sound like she pro-actively withdrew it from your account, in which case, how did she know your pin and have access to your card number? Or did you give it to her (in which case, you're liable)?

I'm not being aggressive here, just trying to dig a little deeper. From the wording you posted originally, it sounds like you gave her access to your card or else consented to giving her money. Is that right, or have I got it wrong?

ChrisMc90_2

She had access to my online banking and as a result my funds. I was naive enough to sign quite a lot of stuff for her, thinking she had "money troubles" which I now know actually meant she had no money for playing online bingo. Because of this I'm obviously liable for what I signed. I also spoke to 1st Credit on the phone when I didn't think it was as bad as it really was, telling them that they could speak to my mum to set up a payment plan. As a result I'm liable for that as well, and have set up a payment plan.

The RBS loan I signed for, so am liable. I've been in contact with the bank about the credit card, to see if I'm liable, and have sent their client support section copies of my driving license and passport, so they can compare the signatures. I honestly can't recall signing for this, so hope that it comes back saying that the signature on the application, if there was a written application, is not my own. If the application was made through online banking however, I will be liable.

When I know what I am liable for, I will be looking for money from her, to help with the repayments.

As I may have said before (not sure), I've recently received mail about sums owed to BT over an account I was never aware of, so I've written to them as well.

The Talk Talk account that was set up in my name has now been cancelled after they replied to a letter I sent them, and the bank have refunded me the set up fee debited from my account, as I was never aware of the fact that the account was in my name.