Is there any way I can stick an identity thief with my debts and bad credit rating?
February 26th, 2009
| Tags: Personal Info, Thief, Victim Of Identity Theft
Insomniac Acres asked:
I’m pretty careful with my personal info, but it’s something that seems worth exploring. Actually Maryland, I have not been the victim of Identity theft. One major illness is all that it takes to screw up anyone’s credit without outside assistance.
Gregory
I’m pretty careful with my personal info, but it’s something that seems worth exploring. Actually Maryland, I have not been the victim of Identity theft. One major illness is all that it takes to screw up anyone’s credit without outside assistance.
Gregory
The law would not allow you to directly transfer responsibility for your debts to the identity thief, and your creditors would not permit that because their contracts are with you and they will look to you for payment of the debts until you are able to prove the debts were incurred by someone else using your name. This would be done by contacting the creditors and credit bureaus and notifying them of the theft, and putting a sort of “alert” on your account with the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus would then contact you directly prior to any new credit accounts being opened in your name. If you knew the identity of the thief, you would technically have the right to bring a civil action for your damages, but as a practical matter the issue is usually handled by law enforcement and the thief would be far away or judgment proof, meaning a civil action might not be worth your time or money.
Perhaps I am wrong, but it sounds like you haven’t even been the victim of identity theft. If that is the case, what you are suggesting is fraud.