Hi,

So this all started a couple months ago.

The family switched to a new internet provider after moving. The first provider, Verizon, was in my mother's name. However, after switching providers and reading the very first bill from the second company, Frontier, I noticed that it was addressed to me. After confronting my mother (and calling her out on a lie or two), she finally admitted that she not only used my name, but my SSN and other personal information in the account.

So of course this got me a little suspicious, so I checked my credit score on that website creditkarma (lied about my birth year, but everything else was correct). The website gave me a report which stated that I had 5 credit cards, dating as far back as 2011, under my name along with a credit score of 648. After looking at the names/companies of the card, it is very clear to me that these are my mother's (I have seen them in person), and I have no doubt that this has been her doing.

I also know that years ago (when I was around 7-9 years old), a Verizon account for my family was under MY name and was closed during a bankruptcy in 2008. Not sure any of my other info was there. Not sure if this is important.

My main concern about handing this problem is that I am underage. My preference would be to handle this when I move out at 18 in order to prevent any retaliation from her, but I am scared that things like this are time-sensitive and I have to report this ASAP. Should I bring this problem up today or should I wait? I also would like to know how long it may take to fix this, and how it may affect me in 1-2 years when student loans come into play.

Thank you.

Axton Betz-Hamilton is an assistant professor at Eastern Illinois University that is doing research on child identity theft and family financial abuse. She had her identity stolen by her mother and might be a good resource for you. Her email address and a phone number are available on the university website.

Well, I've actually had this exact thing happen. My dads full name and mine are the same, so he used my name on a lot of accounts.

When I got out of college was the first time my credit score really mattered, so when I applied for a loan, I was very surprised that I had terrible credit.

I had a Direct TV account that was never paid opened when I was 7

Maxed Credit Card-when I was 12

A FUCKING BANKRUPTCY

and some other minor things.

Basically, it took a fully dedicated year to get most of it removed. Most annoying thing that has even happened in my life.

It was bittersweet to get the things removed from my credit score, because, basically, I had to rat out my parents if I wanted it to leave my credit score.

You can dispute claims through credit karma, but it takes 45 days for claim. Sometimes there is an 'error' with your dispute and you have to wait 45 days to get that message lmao

My Advice: kill the people responsible start now on credit karma and use their 'dispute a claim'

Edit: I should add that I'm from a small town that has paper files, so some of the stuff, like the bankruptcy, is just from the credit reporters not understanding paper-files. The blatantly-not-me things were the easiest to get removed.

Identity theft is hell to fix. Immediately contact the three credit bureaus and get your credit frozen. Then you will need to contact each company who has a account open under your name via certified mail and inform them of what's going on. Next you will need to submit a request to each credit bureau for each account to have them removed.

Go pull your credit history first so you can get a list of accounts you need to close along with the ones you know about.

Well for starters you can't accrue debt as a minor in the US which is where I'm assuming you live. Also sue the fuck out of her the day you turn 18. I had this happen to me as a kid and didn't do that and I regret it now.

Do you have property or deposits in your name too?

The bottom line is that your mom is in the wrong and it may be harming you. That is unacceptable and you should correct it. In this case, you need to be the adult and teach your mom a difficult life lesson. She'll be angry, she'll be hurt, but she'll still be wrong.

If it were me, I would tell my mother she has 60 days to fix this mess. She is your mother after all, and desperate people do desperate things, often with the best interest of their kids in mind. She can move accounts to her own name or close them. You no longer have the risk and you walk away with a 648 score and intact familial relationships. After the 60 days, you take matters into your own hands and start correcting the credit reports by providing proof of birth date. Provided your mother has settled all debts before closing the accounts, nobody will bother with an action for fraud - they will simply correct your credit report. If the debts are not settled, the fraud will likely trigger some issues but that is not your responsibility - it is your mother's.

I suspect your mom will be unable to resolve all debts. There is a reason why she is using your credit, and it is probably because she is living beyond her means and ruined her own credit.

This has been said already, but just to emphasize it, I would deal with things NOW.

Post to /r/legaladvice, ask for some state and identify theft specific advice. Seek out legal help, assistance from the bank and credit bureaus, anyone you think might be helpful.

As someone who works at a university, I want to add that if you ha e a school nearby (college, uni, etc) they can be a wonderful resource. My uni has a HUGE library staffed with incredible, brilliant people, and it's connected to other libraries and resource centers across the country. The professors here are amazing. We have friends with multiple doctorates, who love nothing more than to talk about their areas of expertise.

If you can access a university, seek out the finance and business department, a world of advice awaits you. They teach and help for a living, they WANT to make life better for people your age. Heck, you might find your issues resolved, a paper written about some obscure thing that popped up along the way, and a new interest that lands you in the registrars office when it's all over.

Best of luck. What your mom did is awful, but not unfixable. Hopefully your relationship will ride out the storm and everything comes out okay in the end. The number one thing IMHO, though, is to take care of yourself.

I don't have any words or wisdom or advice but I did have a roommate who dealt with this same thing and it really caused him an unbelievable amount of stress.

He was denied anything that required a credit check, including the apartment itself. His mother had to co-sign on the lease because his father had used his identity to accumulated significant debt and it wrecked his credit score.

Among other things, he couldn't be the account holder of the electric bill (national grid), he didn't get approved for his cell phone plan, he couldn't get a bank loan when his car broke down. etc etc. etc. I wish the best of luck and its probably good that you're thinking about it now.

Do not wait to handle this. The longer you wait the more the problem compounds. Your mother has stolen your identity and to me it seems like it's more than likely because she has a rocky financial past (you mentioned a bankruptcy) and she is using your name to hide her past. the problem is that unless she's making significantly more money now, or has changed the way she handles money, or both (which I highly doubt all of) then she's just going to do to you what she did to yourself and your credit score will be dragged through the mud. If you don't get on top of this and were planning on going to school and needed loans depending on the extent of the damage she's already done that might not happen.

Call the 3 bureaus and freeze your credit and see if they can offer some guidance as to what you can do regarding your existing credit history. Call the institutions that have issued cards and let them know your identity has been stolen and that you would like those cards cancelled. Call your bank and talk to a financial adviser.

Yes, that is a huge fucking issue. I'm so sorry, you have a lot of work ahead of you to clear your name.

I apologise that this post isn't relevant in terms of help, but as a 30yr old man I'm starting to realise just how lucky I've been parents-wise. Some of you guys have deplorable, morally bankrupt arseholes for parents. How can anyone do this in their kid's name, desperate or not?

OP: take a look at /r/raisedbynarcissists and see if things sound familiar. If so, then that--and the coping methods discussed there--will be more important than this particular issue. (If not, good.)

My mother did this to me, both before I was 18 and after. The effects can be extremely long lasting. Put it like this: I'm 38 and can not get a credit card with more than a $1200 limit, and it has taken 10 years to get this far.

I started off by just not doing anything about it - what could I do anyway? I had to wait for the 7 years to go by after I put a stop to anything being open, disputing accounts, etc, and that took a while. Then I started building my own credit... And despite being in the 730s as of recently, I can't get what an 18 year old with no history gets.

TL;DR don't let this happen. Don't feel bad for saying no - a terrible thing is being done to you by the one person who is supposed to make sure you have the tools to get through life, not ruin it for 20 years.

I've seen a lot of stuff like this on here lately. I can't believe parents do this to their own.

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon experience. Low-income families will use the SSNs of two-year-olds if they're in dire circumstances. Doesn't make it right, of course, as this absolutely will have a negative impact on your credit history and score. If you're 17 now I feel like at 18 you may have a better chance at fixing this all, honestly. It's going to be hell, so be prepared. Spend this year researching and getting all your documentation together. Good luck!

i rarely browse reddit and this is like the 10th time i have seen this exact same post come up.

OP-- the hole might get a little deeper between now and you turning 18, but unless your family has a major upset, it is unlikely to get significantly deeper.

Your credit is unlikely to effect you at this time-- it'll come into play for buying a car at the soonest. And note--your credit score is on the low side, but still fair. You won't have much trouble bringing it up.

I don't think you have an emergency on your hands.

If you are afraid of retaliation in any way, wait until you are 18 and can move out to fix this. The usual steps are to:

1) contact the police, file a police report (you don't have to press charges)

2) contact the credit card and other companies, notify them of the theft and get the cards shut down.

3) contact Experian, Transunion, and Equifax and notify them that the bankruptcy is fraudulent, as are the credit cards etc and ask that it be removed from your record.

Damn, I don't understand how a mother could do something that shitty to her son.

You're probably going to need to go to the police. My mom pulled this kind of shit, and when I started contacting the various credit card companies they pretty much told me that without a police report their hands were tied. Secondly, see if you can change your SS number, because she will keep doing this whether or not you're living in her house, and you better believe she has it memorized already. Finally, dispute the charges on your credit report, the police reports will make it easier to prove that this wasn't you.

Working for a cable company I used to deal with parents all the time that would try and put cable accounts under their kids names and social and then play dumb when I call them on it. "No, that's my SSN - I have no idea why it's saying it's tied to a 2 year old!"

The worst kind of humans.

Don't let anyone sign a contract in your name.

My father put a car that he bought after losing his job in my name. He was caught speeding and because the car was registered in my name, I ended up in court as he never dealt with his tickets and it was my name that the car was under.

Unless you do something that makes your mother liable, YOU will be liable. Once you turn 18, YOU will be responsible for paying off what the 5 credit cards owe. Your mom can continue to pay them off, but once you're 18, she has no legal obligation to do so.

So either take that risk, or get an attorney to transfer all liabilities to her.

How does this even happen so often in the US?

Kick her out of the house

I though about doing this with my kids. But I would pay the bills on time and never default. So they can get a head start with good credit.

This is only going to end two ways. One, you ignore it, let it happen, and your credit is ruined for at least seven years (but probably longer). Two, you report the identity theft, slowly get it cleaned up, and your mother is prosecuted for state and federal crimes.

YMMV, but I would go with option two.

/r/legaladvice

If you don't do anything then you will have to pay all the debt back (unless your mother some pays it) and you will probably never qualify for a loan or any type of finance. You should report this ASAP

Hey there Niahviv.

If you were under aged when these accounts were created, and can prove so (via birth certificate, driver's license, etc.) you can most likely dispute this information with the CRAs (Consumer Reporting Agency) that are currently reporting these accounts on your file. If all goes well things should turn out in your favour. Do keep in mind, however, that this may prompt fraud investigation by the creditors who are reporting these accounts. Regarding the account included in that bankruptcy, you shouldn't worry if it has been more than ten years since that happened; the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) allows for up to 10 yrs retention time for Chapter 7 bankruptcies, and up to 7 yrs for Chapter 13. Which means this records has been most likely expunged from your file by now. Cheers.

I had my mother do something similar. I remember growing up always being told by my mother to either not answer or hang up the phone if someone was calling who I didn't know. She also had a house and business foreclosed on.

I worked all through high school to have cash for fun and always used what I later found out to be my mother's social security number because that is what she told me my number was. When I was about to go to college and started to apply for financial aid I found out my real social security number because I finally needed a copy of the SS card. A short while later the car my mother was driving was repossessed and I started getting phone calls about the car. When I asked why they were calling me, they told me because the car was in my name. Being young, I thought the only way to get the default off my credit was to charge my mother with fraud. I could not bring myself to do it. I was very hurt and really did not speak with my mother for years. My credit was messed up for years and I was hounded by collections agencies. I refused to pay any money back. I know this is no help as to what to do, but you are definitely not alone.

Not a single one of these people posts a follow up with justice.....

Hi, I know many people who this has happened to. It is horrible that people do this to their own kids. The simple answer is , when you turn 18 just contact all the credit reporting agencies such as trans union, equifax, and experian to let them know you had fraud on your report. Prove that you were under 18, and it will be removed within 30 days.

Credit reporting agencies are all private companies, so they are required by law to correct the information immediately.

www.transunion.com www.experian.com www.equifax.com

Same crap my mother did to me. Still having issues years and years later. Stop it ASAP. Have to let her know that she's effecting your future.

That's identity theft. My mother in law used to do that to my husband, she's since deceased and it's STILL affecting him.

You'll have to file a police report to prove you're pursuing the issue in order to erase the items from your credit report in the future.

This happened to my wife. Reddit didn't exist back then, and it was hard at 19 to get information, especially when living on your own with very little money.

So when debt collectors came calling, we were dating. My parents being the super bad ass parents, paid the settlements, and we started getting her credit history once a year to verify it had stopped.

She paid my parents back, and she didn't want to go to police on her parents, but you need to start taking care of this now. It took many years for her credit to recover. Luckily we didn't buy a house until 27, so we had time to fix it.

Use the free tools, once a year each credit buraue has to provide your credit report to you for free. Federal Law, I believe is here: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action

Get one from each (creditkarma only has 2). Make sure you have your Birthcert and SSN card, contact each agency and dispute all of them. Contact each business listed and dispute all of them. You may need to provide your birth cert/ssn copies to prove. But once you prove you're under 18, they'll be closing those things quick. Then you want them removed from your history.

Now some might give you issues, and you might have to get police involved. It can take a very long time to fix, you should start now.

I would bring a lawyer into this. You may be able to emancipate yourself so you won't have to fear any backlash for still being considered a dependent.if your mother

I'd let it ride until you turn 18. You aren't really liable for anything someone else does with your name, doubly so as a minor. Let her do what she feels she has to do to keep the lights on and food on the table, and then once you turn 18 you can ask her to stop using your identity oursort everything out with a single trip to a lawyer.

Most likely everything will work out for both of you.

If everything is in your name, maybe you can change the adress on some things when you move out en take those with you. I can also recommend stopping some services. I dont know if you have passwords and that kind off stuff but if you dont try to get them this will make everything a lot easier.

I'm sorry this happened. Luckily you have caught it before it affects you later in life.

I had something similar happen to me, but it occurred once I turned 18 and began to receive credit card offers in the mail.

I left for college and got a part-time job. I would sometimes come home on weekends, but that's about it unless it was a holiday.

After college, I applied for a credit card and began using it. I mentioned this to my mother, who seemed excited about it. She asked how much the credit limit was and commented that "the one I got you when you turned 18 has a much higher limit than that." Perplexed, I asked what she was talking about, since I had never used a credit card prior to being in my early 20s.

She spilled the beans that she had responded to the credit card offers that came in under my name. A couple had pretty high limits, but the remaining six all had $500 limits. She had maxed out all and was making minimum payments. Apparently, she was using them to purchase items online (which wasn't really much of a thing back then) and via catalogs.

I was pretty upset, but she reasoned that she was helping my credit by doing this and that my parents were making the payments on the cards, so it didn't matter anyway. I don't know why, but this made sense to me so I let it go.

Fast forward a couple years. I get married and we begin contemplating getting a house. I check my credit and to my surprise there are the eight credit cards that my mother had signed up for and all are maxed with very spotty payment history. It was almost like they'd only make a payment on one each month.

I was furious and had a very adult conversation with my parents, which I probably should have had when I first discovered what was going on. I wanted all information on all cards that they had under my name. I had all of the account numbers changed and updated the address to my current address. I also removed all other authorized parties from the accounts.

For me, pressing charges wasn't an option. I really hated what they had done, but they were my parents. I just couldn't bring myself to doing anything else.

I had to empty my savings just to get the credit cards down to tolerable levels where I could afford the minimum payments each month. Slowly we began to pay off each and close them. It was very hard on the relationship with my wife, but we got through it.

As a result of all this, we weren't really credit-worthy enough to purchase a home until our early 30s. It really set us back a good five to six years on where we wanted to be. I also don't speak to my mother any longer, and the relationship with my father is not that great either.

It was a rough situation, and I hate seeing anything similar happening to other people.

I'm sure you've gotten alot of good advice already but I'll add that your mother IS sabotaging your future, there's no maybe about it! You need to take action right now not only to try and fix any damage already done but you also have to make sure she doesn't continue once you are on your own; My best guess is that she probably will keep this as a possibility once you are an established adult, meaning, try and put something in your name, trying to get credit with your SSN, you have to find out what you can do to prevent this from happening. I have learned the hard way that family will lie right to your face and the fact that you said that you were afraid of 'retaliation' from her is very telling. Good luck, and if it walks on two feet don't give your complete 100% trust, if it walks on 4 and barks you're all good....

As someone who used to sell services to people over the phone this is way more common than people think it is. The sad part is we have no idea of knowing if someone is using their kids name and SSN because the all companies only check if the name doesn't match up with the SSN we input. When that happens we have to tell the person over the phone they need to verify their ID at an office before we can sell them services.

What is worse is how many other companies don't even bother checking the name against the SSN at all, as long as you have a SSN and a decent score then you're good to go.

With all that being said If your mother has done this she will most likely never stop doing it. What that means for you is you need to keep and eye on your score for as long as she is around. Fixing this is going to take a long time however keeping her from doing it again is almost impossible if you maintain any kind of relationship with her because she will always have access to your SSN and other information she would need to verify in order to get a credit card or some other kind of service in your name. I've heard of people being able to change their SSN's by request from the state government in order to prevent their parents from stealing their ID again however most of the time it's more of a hassle than it's worth.

I mean, on the bright side, 648 isn't a terrible score to start out with. I've been trying to build my credit for three years after a few stupid mistakes on my part, and it still hasn't gotten up past "poor".

So there is no mechanism to prevent a CC from being opened for a minor and for someone to use a CC that isn't in their name?

If you go to college and stop her from using your cards it should not hurt you over this period. Credit agencies do not care if your parent stole your identification and there is no law that requires them to care so please use caution. But if you give it another seven years, you'll be in the clear as long as your mom stops impersonating you. If you want to sue her at that point, though, that is your choice.

Request a New SS Number. Is what I'd do, your young enough where it's not like there should be any debt. Just it takes time and is a pain.

I know a brother and sister whose father had done this to them when they were younger.

Really messed up their credit, and their trust (naturally)... though both are successful and happy people now. :)

If the bills are being paid on time then you can thank her for building you credit. If not then it can be a big problem. You are under 18 so If your credit has had any negative effect, you have plenty of time to get it back up. 648 isnt Great but not that bad. Not sure how a parents bankruptcy works under your name. Im not a financial advisor or anthing but im not sure If people under 18 can file bankruptcy let alone a 7-9 year old.

My mom got me a card when I was like 13 for emergencies. Then she let me use it to buy stuff like groceries and stuff and then she paid it off. I had perfect credit when I went to college and knew how credit cards worked.

My mother used my SSN to open up a credit card back when I was like 9, she was going through a rough patch. I didn't notice till I was 17 when I went to run a credit check for a motorcycle. It turns out that her opening the account that long ago helped my credit tremendously. Im 20 and I'm sitting at a 780 right now. Because she opened a credit card that long ago, it gave my credit report "history" so now lenders see that I have a 11 year old credit card with not a single missed payment

You need to get help ASAP. I understand that she's your mother but you're a minor and this definitely will affect ur future. It's identity theft and if u wait till ur 18 ur mom will pull a fast one and claim u made them urself (which is hard to believe considering some of the accounts were made when u were wayyyyy too young). I wouldn't recommend talking to her cuz she's gonna get mad and try to frame u, but talk to the right authorities and if you have to, get emancipated

Happens to a lot of us.

Story: Friend and his wife were buying a house. His credit was normal. Hers was AWFUL. Why? Her mama used her credit for anything and everything. Water bills...cable...CC's....

Mortgage lender told 'em, you'll have to report this as identity theft in order for the underwriters to be able to do their jobs, as it's clear that you don't live X, but it says you have for 5 years.

So she had to alert her mama that she was going to file a police report for identity theft, which she did, as she wanted that house. Imagine telling your mama that you're calling the police. Police knew the deal, she of course she didn't press charges and her mama wasn't arrested. Yet, she know looks at her credit report to ensure nothing else pops up...

Just curious. If you can open accounts for underaged children could you just give your kids awesome credit scores when they turned 18 by opening credit cards charging one recurring monthly charge every month for 18 years( low CU, 216 on time monthly payments,) and auto paying it?

My mom did this to me. Not with credit cards(that I know of), but with utility bills. Some that were never paid. I stupidly accepted taking her on a phone plan as well, of which she never paid for. I had to pay like $700 and then cancel it before it got worse.

Tough love. I'm not about to ruin my credit.

After reading all the comments that's what I would do in your case. I would ask her to show the outstanding balance on all cards and give permanent access to it. If it's not maxed out and the payments are being made, let her ride it out until you're 18. If not, tell her to pay the credit or report identity theft. I wouldn't wait before I move out, but I don't know your situation with your mother. I guess it's for you to decide. You can claim identity theft once you leave. Just take your birth certificate with you.

I recognize that your mom has committed fraud, but I notice that nowhere in your post did you mention she was being reckless with them. I know it's likely that she is, but I don't want to make any assumptions so I'll play the devils advocate here.

If your mom opened these cards and is using them herself but doing so responsibly (paying them off, not using a balance, and has not saddled you with ANY debt), then perhaps it's worth calling them once you are 18 and either A: removing her as an authorized user so you can control it moving forward, or B: if she has saddled you with debt she can't repay, calling them and telling them you are a minor and that they need to get f'd.

Length of credit history is a factor. It sounds like with a 650 score she may be either keeping your balances high and/or not paying on time every month, so the likelier course of action is probably going to be reporting mom and getting the cards cancelled.

Am I missing something? How can you get a credit card at 11 years old? Or 14, 15, 16, 17 even?

This happened to me. I found out at 19 that my grandmother and aunt had used my SS# and a fake name to pull credit cards with JC penny and other stores. They maxed them out an never paid them off. I was trying to buy a car when I found out and was denied. I was able to get out of all of it, as I was under age when the cards were issued. It took nearly a year to get all of the creditors to whipe it from my credit history. Being underage You have the advantage. They cannot make you pay it back and it can not go on your credit. Like me you have a tough choice to make, what your mom is doing is illegal, and you could stop it by contacting the athorites.

My mom did this for me. When I was 18 and buying my first car new car (I was in the military, and it's common there), I had no trouble getting a loan at a great rate. She stopped after I turned 18. Most of the other guys I knew were getting interest rates at 18%, but I got mine at 5.5% which was super low at the time.

My parents opened a bank and credit card for me when I was a minor in order to help my credit, so i don't think they will block this action.

Since when does an ISP need an SSN? I sure as heck don't give mine out that easily. Your mom needs to be more careful when she's cheating.

Bad credit can stay on your record for 7 years. The 648 credit score is not bad so no damage has been done in that respect. I would get your free credit report from the 3 major credit agencies and inform them the cards are not your accounts.

It's messed up. Hope you can get your stuff together abd confeont your mothers' financial abuse. No kid should go through this. Power to you my brudda

Still, put her in her place, but instead of ratting her in, threaten the companies that accepted the contracts in question, as people have stated, it is illegal for a minor to blah blah blah, and you can actually threaten to fuck them without fucking with your family (if you got the wits). That is the quickest way to deal with it because they react quickly to threats but not to simpleton bureaucratic issues.

That is fucked up. Also, it is illegal because at your age, by law, you are not considered to have "capacity" to be considered a adult until 18 in regards to contracts (credit card agreements).

However, depending on your region and local and state statutes, you may be able to clear out this fraudulent credit record solely on basis of "lack of capacity". Through a Judge looking at the case in civil court, and ordering it so. Maybe mom knows that. Maybe she is taking advantage of that.

Also your mother has committed a serious federal offense in regards to using your name and SSN to impersonate you. But ask the cops how they will see it. She basically is building a fake identity with your name.

It's sad because I know a lady, much older than you, whose mother is doing the same thing to her. She has six figures of debt now, they kicked her out of the house after SHE paid the rent, and she is staying at a weekly, making payments on a car that is not even legally her's. Her credit score tanked, she is almost homeless, and she has hundreds of thousands in medical debt as well.

If you act quickly, you wont be in trouble. You will have a clean record, clean identity, and clean life. Ask a lawyer first. Then a police station if he OKs it.

Well, on the bright side, 648 isn't a terrible score to start out with so if you do recover your identity, you've got a nice starting point.

Do you have a father who is around? If you're underage, but your father is in the picture, he could help you stop this (put a credit freeze on your credit report for you etc).

I'm sorry that this is happening to you. I think indeed the most important thing for you is to work towards becoming independent from your mother. Check out the wiki's in the right-hand column about how to handle $ and the one specifically made for young people.

There's a wiki page about identity theft as well, you might want to read up on it. This is identity theft by your mother. Whether you want to do something about it right now is up to you.

Post this on /r/legaladvice. Essentially, once you are not concerned with retaliation and/or your family relationships, report this to the police. Your mother is breaking the law. This has PF implications, but it is 100% a legal issue.

This is going to be a tough pill to swallow, but your mother doesn't love you like you think she does - she's perfectly happy to steal not just from you, but from your future, to serve her own needs. When it comes time to press charges, you have two choices: either forgive her transgressions and shoulder the burden of her debts, or press charges for identity theft and get your life back. It's her responsibility to raise you until you're an adult, not borrow from your future. No loving parent would sabotage your financial prospects before you even left the house. She's probably someone who does love you on some level, but she's deeply wronged you, and I implore you, for your own sake, to not hold back when it comes to giving her her just desserts, not out of vindictiveness, but out of defensiveness for yourself and your possible future.

For any hesitation you feel towards filing criminal charges against her, realize that your entire life has been fucked up before it even had a chance to get started, by one of the only two people in this entire world whose sole responsibility is to not fuck up your life. While the score might not be that bad, you owe all of that money now.

Made an account so I could reply to this. You are 17. You cannot legally enter into a binding and legal contract w a company. Most likely than not your mom has a debit card or has used your information to set up the bills or is simply using your bank account as her own. I've actually seen this happen quite a bit...

Once again companies cannot legally enter a contract with you since you are a minor.

Call those utilities companies and see if they have a record of you signing up. If you have a credit card indeed under your name contact the company and they will clear it out for you.

Edit: next time I'll read your whole post. If you are past reasoning with your mom on this...call the police file a police report. Open fraud claims with every credit card company...they will out a freeze on the lines. Also call the credit bureaus and request a credit freeze.