AITA for going to the police immediately when I found out my parents took out debt in my name.?

A Redditor discovered that their parents had taken out $60,000 in debt in their name without their knowledge. When the Redditor tried to address the issue by insisting their parents clear the debt and allow their boyfriend to stay over, their parents refused.

In response, the Redditor moved out to stay with their aunt and reported the situation to the police. As a result, their parents were arrested, and they are now being accused of ruining their parents’ lives. The Redditor feels guilty but stands by their decision to protect their own future. Read the full story below for more details.

 

‘ AITA for going to the police immediately when I found out my parents took out debt in my name. ?’

My parents took out credit cards and loans in my name. It was fine when they were paying the bills but they got behind. I don’t have a key to the mailbox so I never saw the bills or anything. I just finished my third year of university and I was going to move out. That would require me to get a credit check and stuff.

My parents freaked out and forbid me from moving out. They said it was stupid that I would waste money on moving out when I could save money living at home. They don’t like my boyfriend so I thought that was their issue. But not was I wrong.

Long story short I am about $60,000 in debt because of them. I cannot afford to pay that off. I told them that they needed to clear the debt immediately and change the house rules so my boyfriend could spend the night.

They said that they didn’t have the money to pay the debt and that I could not strong arm them into changing the rules of their house.
I called my auntie and asked her if I could please come stay with her for a bit. She let me and asked a lot of questions.

Then she showed me a dozen Reddit posts about parents screwing up their kids future and kids allowing it. I went to the police and reported it. My parents got arrested and charged. They are furious with me.

I know they didn’t spend the money on me. I do not know what they did spend it on. I don’t care. I feel bad for them but I’m not letting them f**k up my future.. AITA?

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

ParticularBanana9149 −  NTA. “It was fine when they were paying the bills”. No. It wasn’t. It is identity fraud and it is illegal. Put a freeze on your credit and monitor your reports from now on. Tell them you are furious with them as well.

DJ_Too_Supreme_AITA −  NTA. My parents took out credit cards and loans in my name. It was fine when they were paying the bills but they got behind. Not fine at all. This is illegal and can affect you negatively. My parents freaked out and forbid me from moving out. This is a red flag.

Long story short I am about $60,000 in debt because of them. This is exactly why taking out credit cards in your name was far from fine.
My parents got arrested and charged. They are furious with me. I find it insane that they’re mad at you for reporting a crime when they put you $60k in the hole

ExtraordinaryAttyWho −  NTA. that’s exactly the correct move. There are only two options in this situation, which comes up all the time on r/legaladvice. Either you report them to the police and get the debt off or you accept the debt as your own.

LiquidSnake13 −  NTA – OP, not only you are well within your right to do this, but it’s imperative for your financial health to report identity theft to the police. No matter what your parents, or any of your extended family tells you, stay the course and make sure that this debt is cleared.

Yes that means your parents will go to prison for a long time, but that’s what they deserve because this is a crime that destroys lives. Also, do not under any circumstances make any payments on this debt. Doing so will only make it harder for you to get it cleared. Good luck, OP.

alicat777777 −  The reason they couldn’t get them in their name was because of bad credit from previously not paying their bills. Now they are screwing things up in your life. Bad credit can keep you from renting, buying a house and even from getting certain jobs.

You did not give them permission and they probably have done it for years. Get a credit check, freeze your credit and start trying to clean this up. They deserve this. NTA. This is the only way for you to move forward.

Acrobatic_Local3973 −  He’ll no! Prosecute them to the fullest extent possible. Your parents are supposed to care for you and protect you, not s**ew you over and do illegal shite on you.

Curious-One4595 −  NTA. You were the victim of a crime. The fact that it was perpetrated against you by people in your family makes it worse.

breathemusic14 −  NTA, but you also need to report this to credit agencies right away so that they can remove that from your record.

CandylandCanada −  It WAS NOT fine because they paid the bills, what they did was highly illegal, you could change the rules that affect you because YOU are on paper the one who runs the house (my house, my rules) and NTA for reporting them.

Think of it this way: the role of a parent is to raise a responsible adult. Adults report crime, so mission accomplished.

trillium61 −  Freeze your credit! If you have siblings, have them check their credit reports too. Your parents stole your identity. Having them arrested was the consequence that they deserved. Contact the credit card companies and dispute the debt. You are not responsible for it. The debt will be removed.

Do you think the Redditor did the right thing by going to the police, or was there a better way to handle the situation? How would you have approached such a breach of trust with your parents? Share your thoughts below!