Most parents work hard to set up their children's future so that they can grow up without the weight of the world on their shoulders. There are some guardians, though, who don’t do that, and instead, are only concerned with their own selfish gain.
This is what one woman realized about her mother-in-law, who had racked up a lot of debt in her son’s name and expected him to pay it all off. Even when she was confronted about her entitled actions, she doubled down and made it all his problem.
More info: Reddit
Some parents commit fraud by taking out credit cards in their kids’ names, and this can cause the children a lot of issues in the future
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The poster shared that when she first started dating her partner, he said that his mother had taken out four credit cards in his name, and that she was paying them off
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The man was hesitant to confront his mother about her credit card fraud, and later found out that his mom had falsely set him up to receive disability payments from the state
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The poster later urged her fiancé to figure out his finances, and he was shocked to learn that because of his mom, his credit score was 590, and he was in $20k+ debt
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When the man confronted his mom about the debt, she told him that if he declared bankruptcy, all would be okay, but he found out that it would actually affect his financial future
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The poster tried to support her husband as he came to terms with his mom’s behavior, and his mother-in-law helped him file an appeal with the state about the debt
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A while later, the man contacted his mom to figure out more about the cards she had taken out in his name, and he learned that she had been secretly running credit checks on them
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Unfortunately, the man’s mother tried her best to put him down by calling out his “flaws” and yelling at him, which prompted him to threaten to report her for fraud
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Eventually, the man had to report his mother for credit card fraud since she had revealed the details of the cards and was refusing to accept responsibility
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The couple also decided to go low contact with the older woman, and mute any communication with her so that she couldn’t keep bothering them anymore
It seems like the man’s mother had been preying on him for a while because she had taken out four credit cards in his name, and wrongfully claimed that he was autistic so that she could receive disability payments on his behalf. She had also made it seem like there was nothing wrong with her actions, which is why her son hadn’t been suspicious for a long time.
According to financial experts, it is unlawful for a guardian to use their child’s Social Security number to open accounts or get credit cards in their name. This is usually done secretly before the kid is even aware of their finances, which means that it’s a form of manipulation on the parent’s part.
In the beginning, the man didn’t realize the extent of his mother’s fraudulent actions, and it was only after his wife’s family found out that his credit score had dropped to 590 that his eyes were opened. He also learned that his manipulative mom had saddled him with $20,000+ debt that she was actually supposed to pay off herself.
In situations like this, professionals state that it can be painful for people to come to terms with the fact that their own parent has been using them for their financial gain. This moment of discovery can take a while to sink in, but it’s important that folks try to set boundaries immediately with their entitled guardian.
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Eventually, the man decided to confront his mom about her sneaky behavior, but she tried to turn the tables on him by telling him to file for bankruptcy. She also expected him to pay off all the debt that she had racked up, and got mad when he threatened to report her for fraud if she didn’t reveal all the credit cards she had taken out in his name.
Although it might be tough to stand up to manipulative parents like this, financial advisors explain that it is important to do so, as it can help stop this toxic cycle. People should also immediately take control of their money by freezing their accounts, reporting if they’ve experienced credit card fraud, and getting the police involved if needed.
This is exactly what the man and his wife decided to do so that his mom would finally be able to face the consequences for her actions. They filed all of the cards in his name as fraudulent, and also locked their credit so that she wouldn’t be able to take from it anymore.
Even though the man took a firm course of action against his mom, he also felt disheartened that she had taken advantage of him for so long. That’s why he also decided to go low-contact with her and to stop her from manipulating him any further.
What else do you think the couple should do to handle the entitled older woman? Do share your thoughts down below, and any pearls of wisdom you might have.
Folks urged the couple to immediately contact a lawyer to help them and to protect their finances with safeguards
