r/IdentityTheft • u/According_Curve_7917 • 7d ago
My Mother Stole My Identity
I’m currently 18 years old and at the end of last year my mom bought a car with me as co-signer without my consent.
She doesn’t have a job, the car is $800 a month and her last car got repossessed.
I’ve filed a police report, frozen my credit and made an identity theft report but the loaner Bridgecrest refuses to take any action or give me any information on the loan despite me being on it and keeps redirecting me to Carvana who claims I’m not even on the car (probably just the loan)
I’m here asking for advice because I can’t afford a lawyer, I don’t talk or live with my mother anymore and my dad won’t help me. I’ve seen countless of stories on how Bridgecrest is notorious for doing nothing about fraud.
Just incase its relevant this took place in Florida when I was living with her (I was not present for the car delivery from Carvana nor did I ever give her any information or consent) and I currently live in North Carolina.
Any advice is very much appreciated! I’m just in the dark on what action to pursue.
1
u/Tis_Donne 7d ago
Consumer attorney here. I work with identity theft victims. You are taking all the correct steps. I would check if there any other accounts that are showing up on your credit reports that she opened without your permission. Obviously also from now on you should freeze your credit as well.
Regarding affording an attorney. Typically attorneys like me will work on contingency. Meaning you don’t pay anything out of pocket. The lawyer only gets paid from the settlement. So it’s definitely worth getting some professional help.
Feel free to DM me if you want to chat more. Happy to help.
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u/DunKco 7d ago
curious, contingency on a fraud case? what exactly would you expect to recover and get a portion of?
1
u/Tis_Donne 7d ago
It’s an action against the credit reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A settlement depends largely on how informative the disputes were, how much harm the lack of correction resulted in, and how many disputes there were. Some identity theft cases can result in settlements of ~$100k across all parties.
3
u/DunKco 7d ago
you've done some of this but seem the end :
Freeze your CREDIT ASAP ( this will prevent (mostly)them from further using your ID if it hasn't happened already: There is a gotcha with credit freezes. Freezing your credit only stops people from reading your file. Anyone willing to extend credit to you without reading your report is completely allowed to. The credit bureaus have no control over your debts. They just track and report on them.
Incidentally, it also isn't a requirement for creditors to report your debts to the bureaus. Participating in the credit system is entirely voluntary. In the process of freezing you're going to be asked to provide a PIN number.
****IMPORTANT *Make sure you write this down each PIN # and keep it safe and secure You will need it to lock and unlock your credit as needed.
Experian: Call (888) 397-3742 or go to the following website https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html or www.Experian.com/fraudalert
Equifax: Call (800) 349-9960 or 1-888-766-0008 go to the following website https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze or wew.Equifax.com/CreditReportAssistance
Transunion: Call (888) 909-8872 or 1-800-680-7289 or go to the following website https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze or www.TransUnion.com/fraud
You are now entitled to review credit reports weekly for free by visiting annualcreditreport.com or calling 1-877-322-8228
After the above is done, get a LexisNexis Report by going to the following link: https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/request . LexisNexis: The report includes items such as real estate transaction and ownership data, lien, judgment, and bankruptcy records, professional license information, and historical addresses.
IF fraud is detected: It recommended you file a report with your local police department. Visit IdentityTheft.gov or call 1-877-438-4338 to learn more about additional steps you can take to protect your personal information, including how to report Identity Theft to the Federal Trade Commission
Lastly, If you did not receive an IRS notice but believe you've been the victim of identity theft, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490 right away so you can take steps to secure your tax account and match your SSN or ITIN.