Hey guys. I wanted to understand if this is normal.
So when I was 18 and started college, my mom signed me up for a Discover Credit card in my name. Like it was 100% mine. I wasn't an authorized user, it was 100% my line of credit.
Since I was 18 my mom gave me the credit card and told me to ONLY use the card if she told me too, or if I asked for permission. My mom make payments on the card. She would Zelle me the money and make the payment out my bank account.
She said she did this to build my credit. I was locked out the discover account for years. I couldn't see the balance at all on the card. My mom had the login information under her email and phone number but it was my credit card line. The only reason I was able to see it now is because Capital One moved everything discover to their app and I have a bank account with C1.
She would have me use the credit card for the following things
1.) If she wanted me to get food for her, me or the family, she would have me put it on the discover card.
2.) If she needed to get something for her. This can range from a TV mount for the living room to a phone case, or groceries for her.
3.) Things for me. She would put any of my car repairs I could not afford for my car on that credit card, if I needed school supplies she make me put it on that credit card.
I am in college I work a part time job, live on campus, and pay for my expenses on my own with very limited help from my mom but she does help me sometimes. The problem is the card has $4,000 + 18% APR balance and despite her making me send her my college refund checks she hasn't used any of them on this credit card.
So I explained to my mom that the payments on the card will still be made the same way, but instead of her making a payment from her phone, I would have to be the one making it from my phone after she zelles me the money. My mom and I got in an argument over the whole fact that she couldn't get into the credit card account I said that she going to make me pay the full balance on the credit card and she was done. I got angry and threatened to sue her and now she's very upset with me.
I apologize this is the wrong sub Reddit to ask this question but I honestly want to know if this normal? Do parents usually sign their kids up for credit cards and do this?
Parent signed me up for a Discover IT credit card at 18
byu/noah041504 inCreditCards
Posted by noah041504
7 Comments
it’s time to be an adult now.
no, most parents do not open credit in their kid’s names and charge shit to it. but you let it happen, so here we are.
the debt and the card is yours and you are responsible for paying it off.
stop giving her access to your card, stop letting her spend on it, and ask for her to give you the money so you can pay it off.
if she stops sending you money, it’s still your responsibility to pay off. stop sending her your refund money.
report any cards issued to the account as lost so the card/card number stops working and get any new cards mailed to you and not to her.
also check for any mobile wallets the card might be in as well, you should be able to do this either in the app or on the website, and disable those as well.
You know its not ‘normal’.
She already abused her own credit, now she wants to use yours.
You have to put a hard stop to this, and monitor reports in case she uses your SSN to apply for more credit.
Revoke any and all access to your credit card. Do what you have to do. She is actively and is going to ruin your credit.
First of all, have you checked your credit reports from the bureaus directly, and do they say that you are primarily responsible for this card?
Assuming yes, then it sounds like your mom has been taking advantage of you by putting debt in your name. Legally speaking, you have very little standing unless you want to claim that the card was fraudulently opened in your name, though since you’ve known about it for years, I don’t see that argument working out. In any case, that would involve claiming your mom committed identity fraud, which is a felony.
You need to remove any access she has immediately — she is spending money that you are responsible for paying. Whether you can get her to pay you back is a matter between the two of you, but since that debt is legally yours, you will need to figure out a plan to pay $4k.
Unfortunately her debt is basically your debt at this point. Make sure it’s your name and address on the card. Call up Discover and tell them you’re worried about the security of your card and would like all preauthorized charges canceled and a new card with new numbers sent to you. Then never speak to your mother again until she pays you the $4,000.
I think it’s ok if she helped you build credit as long as the card was paid responsibly (statement balance in full monthly) and she isn’t leaving you with a balance that has interest accruing and this was done with your permission to help build credit. Legally, you should have access to your own account and legally you were the one who had to agree to open the card since she can’t operate without your permission since she is operating as you. When she is making charges, those are charges YOU are legally making, not her. She doesn’t have the legal right to use the card, only you do, unless you made her an authorized user. She should not be racking up expenses of her own on your card if she isn’t able to pay them in full, since you are the one responsible for these.
If this is not as I described and is simply your mom racking up debt in your name since she ruined her own credit, no, this is not ok.
In addition to the other advice mentioned here, I suggest you make accounts with each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), and 1) look at your credit report to ensure there aren’t any other lines of credit in your name that you don’t know about, 2) place a freeze on your credit on all three bureaus so that she can’t open up any other lines of credit in your name.