Most folks don’t realize just how much their credit score can impact their life and determine whether they can get a loan or even a mortgage. The problem is that if they don’t pay attention to this number and have bad money habits, it can cause a lot of problems in the future.
This is what happened to a woman when she found out that her mom had stolen her identity and wrecked her credit. She couldn’t believe that her own mother would do such a thing, and was even more shocked when she confronted her about it.
More info: Reddit
When parents put their selfish needs before their child’s well-being, it can cause immense damage to their relationship
Image credits: Frolopiaton Palm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster explained that her credit score had been terrible for the last couple of years and that she had always blamed herself for it
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
One day, when she went to the bank to apply for something, a conversation with an employee made her realize that someone had stolen her identity
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster figured out that her mom was behind the whole thing, but was shocked when her mother just shrugged the whole thing off when confronted
Image credits: Gullible-Tale9114
The poster realized that she’d have to rebuild her credit one step at a time, and was shocked at her mom’s nonchalant attitude toward the whole thing
For almost three years, the OP had been struggling with a bad credit score, and she always wondered what exactly had caused it. The poster thought that she was to blame for the whole situation and that she had probably missed a bill, which could have led to a debt accumulating over time.
Unfortunately, studies have found that nearly 40% of people are unaware that they have more than one credit score, and also don’t understand the numbers much to begin with. The problem with this is that if consumers are unaware of their financial history and credit, it can hamper their ability to fix the issue.
This is exactly the problem that the woman was facing, and she didn’t know how to improve her situation. Luckily, when she went to the bank to apply for something small, an employee’s question about her accounts led her to figure out that her mom had been impersonating her for three years.
Even though it might seem shocking that a mother would do such a thing to her child, research has found that nearly 1 in 50 U.S. children fall victim to identity theft every year, with many being affected by someone they know personally. The problem is that the parents or guardians in their lives might only be looking out for themselves without considering their kids’ financial future.
Image credits: Timur Weber / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The poster also felt hurt and betrayed by her mother’s actions and decided to confront her about it. Unfortunately, the mom didn’t seem to care at all and claimed that her daughter didn’t “need good credit for anything anyway.” After hearing that, the OP felt helpless and realized that she would have to fix her financial situation on her own.
Many folks advised the poster to report her mother for fraud instead of sparing her from the consequences. Experts also advise that in the case of identity theft, it’s important to call the fraud department of companies, banks, and credit unions where your accounts have been compromised and let them know what happened.
Besides that, people need to actively track their financial score and figure out the best way to repair any damage done with the help of a credit agency. This is exactly what the OP decided to do, and she realized that she would need to be slow and deliberate about it by paying off smaller amounts whenever she could.
The only problem is that despite everything her mom had done, the poster didn’t seem to want to hold her accountable and had taken the entire burden on her own shoulders. Hopefully, she eventually realizes that she doesn’t have to untangle everything herself and can make her entitled mom face the music.
How would you go about dealing with such a situation if you were in the OP’s shoes? We’d love to hear your opinion on this.
Enraged folks told the poster to immediately report her mother and not to accept the situation so meekly
