Everyone needs to keep a very close eye on their credit score since it factors into many of lifes biggest decisions.
A couple steps you can take right now include:
- **[Taking a look at your credit score](https://everydayeconomics.net/how-to-get-your-credit-score-credit-review)** - Looking at your own credit score does not hurt your credit, it also includes a credit monitor
- **[Freezing](https://usa.gov/credit-freeze)** your credit reports - This can be done with Experian, Equifax and Transunion to help prevent unauthorized accounts from being opened
Feel free to ask any credit score related question
Call the police, get report numbers, get with the credit agencies, get with a prosecutor. He's in big trouble if he stole your identity. What he thinks you owe him will be the least of his worries.
Yeah, Op should talk to a lawyer and ask if ex really needs spousal support while in prison for identity theft, since the prison will provide food, clothing, and shelter.
Oh certainly. But this might be a good reason for a divorce attorney to revisit a settlement. A Judge is likely going to be unhappy with what happened to Op.
Id imagine a judge would at least consider it if the reason for the renegotiated spousal support was that the ex was jailed for identity theft and fraud with the intent of stealing *more* spousal support
The cool thing about having a spouse in prison?
File papers, serve them, when they fail to appear, move for default judgment.
Saw this happen plenty when I did family law.
Definitely call the police and file an identity theft report. Then get the credit report issues resolved.
If he's in jail, he won't get alimony, and I'd guess the judge would happily amend their alimony agreement to $0.
That’s probably not true. I actually googled this to find the answer with no luck but I truly doubt “you sent us money! You now are the degree!!!l makes any legal sense.
It is true, since it is held in her name . She needs to freeze credit and never make a payment she didn't make the debt. Needs to contact all the credit cards companies and sent police report to verify they are not her debts and fraud has been committed. They will investigate. Also, all the credit bureaus need to be notified .Case # submitted to have noted fraudulent active and put on hold. She is not liable.
Depending on the country, your payment is an admission of owning the debt. The issuing bank's fraud department should immediately be contacted. They will immediately freeze the accounts and put all amounts due on hold. It becomes a financial crimes scenario.
.
And also report to the FTC.
OP: Take the advice of filing a police report. Identify theft is a crime. The amount he stole is a felony crime. Go to the police station in your neighborhood today and tell the officer at the front desk that you want to report identity theft.
⛔️SAY NOTHING TO YOUR EX!!!⛔️
You can also report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 1-877-438-4338. The FTC can help victims resolve financial and other issues that may arise from identity theft,
You can lock you credit by working with a company that specializes in this or the old fashioned route by contacting the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, to place a fraud alert and freeze on your accounts:
Equifax: Call 800-349-9960 or go online
Experian: Go online to initiate, or call 888-397-3742 for information
TransUnion: Call 888-909-8872 or go online
A credit freeze prevents creditors from accessing your credit file, which can stop most lenders from opening new accounts. The credit bureaus will mail you a PIN and written notification of the freeze, which you can use to identify yourself when contacting them or to lift the freeze.
Good luck!!!!
Say nothing to the ex, unless you can get him to admit over text that he did it.
Obviously, still not mention any kind of action you might want to take.
Great advice. NaL but I think the most logical sequence here is what you've outlined, then a call to family law attorney to see if decreased borrowing power due to his actions is material enough of a change in circumstance to file a modification of spousal support. Then once the case is settled sending proof of identity theft to dispute every new card for each of the credit reporting bureaus.
This. It's free to freeze all three bureaus, and it immediately removes him from ever doing this again or anyone else.
Create a free Nerd Wallet account, and this article takes you directly to the exact page for each bureau to do the free freeze. Then you immediately dispute each and every account. File your police report, and definitely stop sending the checks. Call your divorce lawyer, and they can set up the escrow account for you to put the money in temporarily. That way you still show your good faith.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-freeze-credit
He will owe the lawyer fees as well. Good luck.
You can request a PIN number from Social Security for use of your SSN, good for a year or two. But you need that police identify theft number to contest these debts. And whatever you do, don’t make a “good faith” payment on anything - then you own it. Since he has done this to you, you may be able to legally revisit paying $1,900 a month to him… Best of luck.
Are you thinking of an IP PIN from the IRS? That would prevent anyone from filing tax returns with OP’s social, but it has no impact on other uses of your social security number. SSA doesn’t verify uses of your social security number in credit applications etc, and they do not offer any sort of PIN.
I had an identity theft perpetrated on my many years ago and the IRS issued me a TIN or taxpayer identification number to replace my ss number. I don't know if this is still done as it was 25+ years ago.
I believe the IP PIN process has superseded that - the only people that are eligible for ITINs now are immigrants who are not currently eligible for an SSN but are allowed to work. Unsurprisingly, as identity theft has gotten more common they needed an easier system for dealing with it. :(
Also, reach out to each lender that issued those credit cards. Ask for the fraud department. Provide the police report and dispute the account. Your ex will possibly be going to jail. Not your problem. I’ve been hit with identity theft. It was a pain in the ass, but I was able to get every fraudulent account closed and removed from my credit report.
Do file a police report. Then use the report number to give to the credit agencies. In a matter of days, he’ll be arrested. Let him be arrested. He knew what he was doing and did it maliciously. He thinks he’ll get away with it and you’ll pay the debt because he’s betting on you to be a punk ass.
Surprise! You’re not a punk ass and he’ll realize that when the deputies knock on his door. Ignore him. Make your payments. Let him go to jail for this. Then enjoy your quiet while he’s there.
And don’t drop the charges, no matter what he or his family says, begs, whines, cries, etc. he committed a crime and you shouldn’t be on the hook for that
she has little proof it seems. I would get proof first. send a dumb text saying "what do I need to do so you stop opening credit cards in my name" and clouds judgement, bet he's dumb enough to rat himself out
Exactly right. And she certainly can describe the phone conversation to police. And she describe the conversation in court under oath.
Better if she takes notes as to the date and time of the call as well what was said.
It's very easy to prove that identity theft once you have a suspect... It might be as simple as looking at the items he bought and see if any of them were shipped to his house, if any of the transactions come from his computer, etc. Let the police and the DA worry about proving it.
Fun thing. She won't be the one pressing for charges, the banks will be. Once she has filed the report and notified the credit agencies and the banks the cards are on, the card issues will go after him, and they know where they mailed the cards to
This.
File a police report for identity theft. Lock down your social security number so he cannot do any more damage.
He is in HUGE trouble. Identify theft is not a joke.
Once you file a police report, take that number and contact each of the accounts that were opened fraudulently. Tell them what happened and give them the number. Once the fraud is proven, those accounts will be removed from your credit report and you will not be responsible for any debt that your ex racked up.
Things are going to suck for a bit, but you will come out okay. Your ex...not so much. You may want to ask your lawyer if you will have to continue spousal support for the person who commited a crime against you.
I agree. Especially if it occurred after the divorce. You may not even be responsible for the charges and he could go to jail. Call the police file a report and let the Card issuers know of the fraud.
I should've put that in the OP and I'll edit it in but I did call the police shortly before posting this. They had high priority calls at the time but they did give me a report number about an hour ago.
What he did is very likely in violation of the divorce decree and your attorney should be exploring punitive contempt of court proceedings if available in your jurisdiction
File a police report, and report the identity theft to each bank/card company. You'll have to submit the police report to them. The items should come off your credit report pretty quickly, but for anything that doesn't update within the next few weeks/month you can file a dispute for with each credit bureau. You should talk to your divorce lawyer, just to see if they have any other suggestions or if this is relevant to your case. You shouldn't need to sue him because he didn't steal money from you, he stole money from the credit card companies. You don't have to sue him to get them their money back. You do have to prove to them it's fraud, and that's what your police report will do, so that's where you should start.
Also: Create accounts with at least the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Then, freeze your credit (you can Google if you have trouble finding the right link, you're looking for a credit freeze, not a lock). Do not use a password or username he could guess.
The identity theft subreddit has more resources and next steps. There are more things you can do, but the first steps are filing a report, notifying the companies that these are fraudulent accounts, and freezing your credit to prevent further damage.
You may want to consult with your divorce lawyer on this, they may have professional experience on this type of thing.
It seems to me that you do not have to sue your ex- to get the money back. Just file a police report for fraudulent ID theft, and use that to dispute the various accounts on your credit reports and with the issuing banks. Because your ex- opened these accounts without your permission, you do not owe this money.
He may wind up facing criminal penalties for this, but the $1900 a month you are sending him will keep his prison commissary account nicely funded.
He will certainly be seeing jail time for this. The ex didn’t steal money from OP, he stole 40k from credit card companies. Once OP proves she didn’t take out that credit, the companies and the state go after whomever did use the credit cards and charge them with as many felonies as they can find.
People try this all the time, and go to jail for it. Take everything you have to your divorce lawyer and then to the police. Do not let this creep get away with it. You’ll be able to use the police report to fix your credit. Also call the credit card companies and have those new accounts shut off.
Oh, you lucky gal! Go straight to the police and report him for identity theft. You send the police report to the creditors, they have to take it out of your name. Your ex will be arrested. Unlikely he will be sent to prison, but this is so egregious the judge just might send him. Talk to an atty about revisiting the spousal support order and having it eliminated, under the circumstances. Keep all communications in writing, preserve as evidence.
See if you can file charges against him. Seriously! That's identity theft. Also, call the credit card companies and see what they can do. As far as him getting his money one way or another, I wouldn't do a damn thing. If the agreement was for 18 months, then he can wait the 18 months.
You need to call your lawyer NOW. It does not matter if he uses your info for credit cards to get his money, you will still have the order for the $25k. He’s double dipping. Call your lawyer and the police as the only way you can get things removed from your credit report is a police report.
On the bright side, he’s given your lawyer a golden opportunity to have spousal support reduced or outright dismissed. Judges do not like shenanigans like this.
Contact the credit card companies and tell them that you did not open these cards, do not have possession of them and have never used them. They will determine fraud, and go after your husband legally
If you're in the US your ex husband committed fraud and you can press charges. Hopefully you've contacted the various credit reporting agencies and locked down your credit. Go to the police and get a police report about the illegally opened accounts. That will allow you to get your name off of those accounts and taken off of your credit report.
Talk to your lawyer and see if it's possible to start paying the money you owe him into an escrow account until the identity theft case is finished. 40K in credit card fraud is a felony-- sounds like this guy just trashed his future for nothing.
Why stressed? He just handed u everything.
A 1st year law student could run with this. Talk to your lawyer, or any lawyer and start working on it.
The judge overseeing the divorce will slam him for this.
He really messed up
Cut all contact with him. Call the police. Take that report and call the card agencies and report them as fraudulent. Lock down your credit.
He is looking at jail time.
Wow what a prick. Call the non emergency police & tell them you are the victim of identity fraud. Dont let him get away with this b/c this is going to take a lot of time & effort on your end. Start with either calling the police or going to the police station in person. Good Luck!! This too shall pass (eventually)
I'm having a hard time understanding WHY you aren't comprehending that
He STOLE your identity, committed FRAUD....and yet you're talking about spousal support?
REPORT his ass!
If ge stole your CAR....would you be this confused? About calling the POLICE 🚔.....C'mon now?
This is NOT your debt....it is Theft.....Report it
FTC
Dispute
Prosecute
Freeze Credit
Add fraud alerts ⚠️
Inform Divorce Attorney/court/sue
I see so many comments already but - wouldn't you treat this like any other identity theft situation? Dispute it with the creditors, file a police report, etc? Or is it different because y'all just divorced?
For one thing, have him criminally prosecuted. You can end your monthly payment to him by having the court apply the balance of the 25k your paying him to the restitution he has to make to you. No way will it make sense to a court for you to have to pay him ao he can pay you. Get your payments legally ended, and how he manages for the rest of his life is his problem.
Meanwhile, freeze all your credit so no one can open new accounts in your name or use the ones you presently have. It's free and its easy. Only unfreeze the accounts when you use them and lock them again.
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
Contact your lawyer immediately and they'll help you contact the police. They'll explain how to contact the credit bureau to remove it from your credit.
Be patient but persistent.
I'm sorry. It's obvious why you're divorced.
Cool so you got him to confess hopefully in writing. So you don’t need to talk to him anymore. Go to the police press charges for fraud then go to your lawyer because with all this maybe you can get out from that spousal maintenance and finally remove every last bit of that tumor.
Call the cops and report him. You are far from alone in having this happen. Since you have him already basically admitting he opened the cards, it should be an easy case to close which always interests police. Freeze your credit so he can’t keep doing this. Let him be prosecuted. When he cries that you are doing this to him, remember he did all of this to himself. He chose to steal your identity to steal money and make your life more difficult.
Use the police report to dispute the debits. You’ll be ok.
Call the police, press charges. Once you have a case number contact the credit card companies and inform them those accounts were opened fraudulently with forged signatures. They will want the case number. Your ex is going to need money for a criminal lawyer soon enough.
File a police report for identity theft, notify your attorney, notify the creditors that it was fraud, and do not pay them a dime.
If you pay one cent towards these debts, the credit cards consider it your admission that it is your responsibility to pay.
Lock down your credit for each bureau. Make sure to right down passwords somewhere as you may need it later.
Ask for reports from each. You can get them free I think 1x per year from each bureau.
Identify any cards he may have opened in your name and report them stolen/have them cancelled. You can report with each cc company and policy
What a doofus.
The man got alimony...which is rare...and a decent one at that and does this?
Not only did he just lose that but he's probably going to jail.
You really have no choice in this but to file a police report, which will likely result in criminal charges, and he will probably be sentenced to jail time. That is the only option if you don't want to have your credit permanently ruined and have to pay the full $40k plus the support amounts you are already paying.
What he did was illegal. You don’t need to pay your lawyer to chase him on this. Go straight to the police and file a report. Your ex will be arrested. The police report numbers will help you dispute everything with the credit card companies.
If your divorce was final and he racked up the debt, then you can file criminal charges. It's better to text and have it in writing than speaking to him. You don't speak, you get it in writing. Or record the conversation if you are one state consent. If two way consent, you say for the record and If he answers I don't care then you have consent. Why didn't you cancel him from your credit cards.
Collect all charges and if your payroll shows you were at work when purchases were made, you can prove not you. You can ask for all records since they are under your name or a lawyer can do the discovery. If put his address on it, he has to explain why. Go to court and explain he has outspent what is owed.
This is fraud. Even if you were married it would be fraud. Report to credit agencies, file a police report, and call your attorney. If you don't already, try and get your ex to admit to it in writing, text messages, email, etc. Don't let this go.
I like how he comitted an actual crime and then admitted it. Fantastic. Talk to police next as advised by others. He'll be prosecuted (his actions, not your fault or problem) and the debtors will respond to the police report so you're off the hook.
Now he gets to lose more money. Text him asking about it so you have proof. Then go to the police. Then talk to your lawyer about eliminating everything you owe him due to him stealing your identity.
This is all illegal. Identity theft, credit card fraud, blackmail/extortion. Go to the police and file a report. Then file disputes under the FCRA with all three credit bureaus, and attach the police reports/numbers as evidence. Freeze your credit and set up alerts. Consider applying for a new social security number. This will help protect and restore your credit.
Then report this situation to your divorce attorney. Your ex is gonna find out real quick.
By the way, your husband isn't entitled to anything not in the divorce decree.
File an identity theft report with the police.
Do not pay a single dime on the cards he opened, and report those as fraud to the banks involved.
Make sure he doesn't have any of your actual credit card numbers, and change logins/passwords if necessary. Same for bank accounts. Same for any email accouts that are tied to your legit accounts, because those would allow him access.
Dispute everything, Call the police (or go down to the station and make a report). Give them evidence of exactly what you're disputing and get the report numbers for the credit bureaus.
Contact the 3 credit bureaus to report identity theft/fraud, give them the police reports and your statement on the matter including all evidence that implicates him in the matter...especially because it sounds like he may have admitted some of this in text messages. In the mean time have them lock/freeze your credit (which will prevent new accounts from being opened).
Contact your lawyer that handled your divorce and give them a heads up as this grossly breaches the agreements and you're likely going to be entitled to damages (including possibly nulling out any spousal maintenance due to him committing identity fraud to harm you).
Stand your ground...once your ex finds out you reported him for identity fraud he's going to either try and become super nice for you to drop the report or he will get incredibly hostile. It may be worth requested a restraining order while reporting the identity fraud to prevent him from approaching and contacting you.
Lock you credit reports.
Go to the police station and file a report. Tonight.
Call your divorce lawyer or get a new one so you can file to stop paying him.
Call each credit and tell them your Identity was stolen and by whom. Provide a copy of the police report
I personally would not give him a dime. Get him admitting what he has done in text messages or writing.
But I wouldn't give him anything, this has to extenuating circumstances.
This is just fraud. It’s separate from the divorce, but it’s fraud and identity theft. Report it to the police and to the credit card companies and have the accounts closed and get your credit locked.
That has to be a felonious amount……. Consult your divorce lawyer and the police. He may have just screwed himself out of the rest of that alimony you owe him. And don’t pay one cent of any of those debts. Those are his and his alone, if you pay you’ll be liable.
If you have been a part of any data breach you usually qualify for credit monitoring. I use the free one from Experian. It is so annoying but I know every single hit to my credit. I get texts or emails on credit inquiries or opening new accounts. It is 100% worth it to me. If it wasn’t free I would pay for the service just for the peace of mind.
What your ex-husband did is fraud. Call the police. Make a report. Dispute the charges with the credit card companies and submit to them the police report. You’ll get the credit cards and the delinquencies removed from your credit report, the debts will no longer be yours, and your stupid as dirt ex-husband will go to jail. Do it NOW.
You need to be absolutely heartless about pressing theft/fraud charges. I would call a postal inspector and get them involved, too, as the credit cards were physically mailed to him, and they don't get distracted by "more important" cases like local detectives very well might.
1) Text him about it and have him respond, affirming it was him that did this: that's evidence.
2) call the police and file a report
3) watch him be arrested for felonies
He's committed identity theft and fraud. Press charges. My ex did this to me and I would've pressed charges but he's his children's only living parent and I didn't want him to go to jail and then be left alone. In hindsight I should've pressed charges. My credit is still crap because of him.
Congratulations on taking the first step by reaching out for help in this challenging situation. It’s clear that this has been incredibly stressful for you, but rest assured, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and potentially turn this situation to your advantage.
First, understand that any creditor who opened a line of credit in your name without your permission is potentially liable in a lawsuit. This could be financially beneficial for you. Here are some steps you should take immediately:
First, here are some specific steps you should take immediately:
1. **Go to the Federal Trade Commission’s Website:** Collect all your information, including your credit report and any accounts you believe were opened fraudulently. The FTC’s website will guide you through the process of reporting identity theft.
2. **File a Police Report:** After obtaining the report from the FTC’s website, file a police report. This is crucial for disputing fraudulent accounts and working with creditors.
3. **Get a Hold of an Attorney:** Consult with an attorney in your state. Most attorneys will take this case on contingency, meaning they won’t charge you upfront; they will make their money from the award of the lawsuit itself. If awarded punitive damages, you will personally benefit from the action.
4. **Do Not Contact Creditors Yet:** Wait until you have spoken with an attorney before contacting any creditors. Your attorney will guide you on the best course of action and help ensure your rights are protected.
5. **Monitor Your Credit:** Keep a close eye on your credit reports to ensure no additional fraudulent accounts are opened.
I hope this helps. Good luck, and stay strong. By taking these steps…
Go to the police and report the cards and theft. Take said documents and report to the credit cards that this is identity theft. Also contact your divorce attorney immediately regarding the fraud.
Sooner you act, the sooner this is all solved in your favor. Doing nothing means he's going to bleed you dry for the rest of your life.
Bad news for him is that he committed a felony and state’s don’t allow self-help. If he believes you owe something you are not paying - he can go through the courts. If he is making a preemptive strike to get money not yet due and owing - just an idiot.
Make your police reports and then contact the credit card companies. Ask your lawyer if this might provide grounds to go back to civil court. I would need longer to pay what I owe him because I had to spend money clearing up his fraud.
Lock your credit down, call law enforcement and your attorney....STAT! You'll need police reports to fix your credit and for the fraud charges you are filing because Naturally you're doing that?
Call the police and have it reported. He may think it's his way of getting money out of you but it's also an easy trip to prison. He likely just fucked himself over in a very serious way both legally and financially.
Get all of this via text or email. Then get the police involved. Make a police report. Notify the fraud department of your credit card company and your bank. Put a freeze on your credit. Go back to court. All of this is criminal.
First of all, keep paying your monthly $1900 to him. It's still legally owed at this point. Get a lawyer as soon as possible, contact your bank and the police, and explain what is happening. You clearly need to take legal action.
Your ex husband is an idiot, and clearly not very smart. He's going to end up far more broke than he was previously because of this. Even if he can't pay the money back, you can get your credit score repaired, and avoid liability for all the money he spent.
That’s a couple felonies worth of fraud at least. Potentially one per card. File a police report and get a lawyer, it’s the only way. Good new is that some of that 25k you still owe can go to a lawyer since you won’t owe it to him anymore.
Go to this website and start the reporting process:
[https://www.identitytheft.gov/](https://www.identitytheft.gov/)
It tells you who needs to be informed, etc and what you can do. It includes reporting the theft to the police and it provided a checklist so you can keep track of what you've done.
What do you mean you don't know what to do. What would you do if a stranger did this? Call your lawyer, call the police. Put a freeze on your credit. Do not pay ANYTHING towards these bills, that will be you accepting the debt. He stole your identity. This is a crime.
Congratulations, File charges for identity theft. Doesn't matter who it was they forged your signature and used your social.
Alongside this, get a lawyer and this would violate the agreement and allow you to break from the payments.
He committed fraud, you.need to contact the credit card companies, open a case with the police, and start the fraud process against him. If you can as well try and freeze all the cards he's opened as well, just so eh can't do any.more damage against you.
If he opened those credit cards after the divorce, that's called fraud and you should file a police report. Call the credit card companies and provide proof of the divorce date and the police report, and report the fraudulent activity.
What your husband did was felony fraud. Go file the police report today. He will be tried and convicted and you will get free and clear of the debt. Win/Win.
Police. That is identity theft and fraud. Document everything. Once you get a case number and a report, use it to send to each account to remove and you need to FREEZE your credit until this is fixed. We don't negotiate with toxic idiots. Your ex just tanked his own life by committing federal crimes. No mercy, he would have screwed you over for decades.
Since you are divorced, this is nothing more than identity theft, plain, and simple. Report him to the authorities, local and federal. He will be in a world of pain.
Police report asap. Collect all your evidence, if you have anything or can get him to admit its him that’s good to. You might have a case to get the spousal maintenance thrown out too if he gets jail time.
Call the police & FBI for identity theft. Since he’s using it online it will fall under the FBI for cyber crimes.
https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/report-fraud
In addition to talking to the police and a divorce attorney, make sure you do not make any payments to any creditors or debt collectors who contact you. Many will try to get you to make a single payment or a "goodwill payment" or something like that, and then will try to use it to get you on the hook for that debt. Refuse to pay any of it.
I’d speak with your attorney. Besides identity theft and fraud I’d find out if he violated your divorce decree and possibly nullified your requirement to pay spousal support.
You should get him admitting to it via text. Not that you need that level of proof. You know it was him. Call the police and report him for fraud. Get a police report. Now that's his debt and he can pay it off and the penalties for credit card fraud.
Everyone needs to keep a very close eye on their credit score since it factors into many of lifes biggest decisions. A couple steps you can take right now include: - **[Taking a look at your credit score](https://everydayeconomics.net/how-to-get-your-credit-score-credit-review)** - Looking at your own credit score does not hurt your credit, it also includes a credit monitor - **[Freezing](https://usa.gov/credit-freeze)** your credit reports - This can be done with Experian, Equifax and Transunion to help prevent unauthorized accounts from being opened Feel free to ask any credit score related question
Call the police, get report numbers, get with the credit agencies, get with a prosecutor. He's in big trouble if he stole your identity. What he thinks you owe him will be the least of his worries.
And look into (ie ask your lawyer) all future payments owed to ex be put in escrow.
Yeah, Op should talk to a lawyer and ask if ex really needs spousal support while in prison for identity theft, since the prison will provide food, clothing, and shelter.
Legal agreements between individuals continue even if one person is imprisoned. That said, what an absolute jerk.
Oh certainly. But this might be a good reason for a divorce attorney to revisit a settlement. A Judge is likely going to be unhappy with what happened to Op.
Id imagine a judge would at least consider it if the reason for the renegotiated spousal support was that the ex was jailed for identity theft and fraud with the intent of stealing *more* spousal support
He ran up a balance total higher than what they agreed she would pay him. If anything, he owes her spousal support when he gets out of jail.
Hopefully she can get that agreement thrown out with the identity theft, and him threatening her about the money.
Yeah. That sounds like extortion to me, and I am betting a judge would look at it the same way.
The cool thing about having a spouse in prison? File papers, serve them, when they fail to appear, move for default judgment. Saw this happen plenty when I did family law.
He's an idiot, too. Identity theft is a felony, and he basically admitted it.
Lol no wonder op divorced him!
Yeah, he's going to have a nice prison commissary account that he can use to keep from being someone's Gf.
This guy doesn't seem to be good with common sense. I'm unsure but that doesn't seem beneficial for getting through a period of incarceration.
Definitely call the police and file an identity theft report. Then get the credit report issues resolved. If he's in jail, he won't get alimony, and I'd guess the judge would happily amend their alimony agreement to $0.
And if not, she him in civil court and have it amended there.
And don’t make any payments on those accounts or you’ll be on the hook for the debt.
That’s probably not true. I actually googled this to find the answer with no luck but I truly doubt “you sent us money! You now are the degree!!!l makes any legal sense.
It is true, since it is held in her name . She needs to freeze credit and never make a payment she didn't make the debt. Needs to contact all the credit cards companies and sent police report to verify they are not her debts and fraud has been committed. They will investigate. Also, all the credit bureaus need to be notified .Case # submitted to have noted fraudulent active and put on hold. She is not liable.
Depending on the country, your payment is an admission of owning the debt. The issuing bank's fraud department should immediately be contacted. They will immediately freeze the accounts and put all amounts due on hold. It becomes a financial crimes scenario. .
Also lock down your credit now!
And also report to the FTC. OP: Take the advice of filing a police report. Identify theft is a crime. The amount he stole is a felony crime. Go to the police station in your neighborhood today and tell the officer at the front desk that you want to report identity theft. ⛔️SAY NOTHING TO YOUR EX!!!⛔️ You can also report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 1-877-438-4338. The FTC can help victims resolve financial and other issues that may arise from identity theft, You can lock you credit by working with a company that specializes in this or the old fashioned route by contacting the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, to place a fraud alert and freeze on your accounts: Equifax: Call 800-349-9960 or go online Experian: Go online to initiate, or call 888-397-3742 for information TransUnion: Call 888-909-8872 or go online A credit freeze prevents creditors from accessing your credit file, which can stop most lenders from opening new accounts. The credit bureaus will mail you a PIN and written notification of the freeze, which you can use to identify yourself when contacting them or to lift the freeze. Good luck!!!!
Say nothing to the ex, unless you can get him to admit over text that he did it. Obviously, still not mention any kind of action you might want to take.
1000000% Agreed!!!!
Came to say this. Only communicate in writing.
Great advice. NaL but I think the most logical sequence here is what you've outlined, then a call to family law attorney to see if decreased borrowing power due to his actions is material enough of a change in circumstance to file a modification of spousal support. Then once the case is settled sending proof of identity theft to dispute every new card for each of the credit reporting bureaus.
Excellent suggestion. If this gets dragged into family court the Judge I doubt it will go well for OP’s ex.
Perfection!
This. It's free to freeze all three bureaus, and it immediately removes him from ever doing this again or anyone else. Create a free Nerd Wallet account, and this article takes you directly to the exact page for each bureau to do the free freeze. Then you immediately dispute each and every account. File your police report, and definitely stop sending the checks. Call your divorce lawyer, and they can set up the escrow account for you to put the money in temporarily. That way you still show your good faith. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-freeze-credit He will owe the lawyer fees as well. Good luck.
And REPORT THE FELONY to your local police and prosecutor. He deserves jail time. It's over $5k, so it's Grand Larceny.
You can request a PIN number from Social Security for use of your SSN, good for a year or two. But you need that police identify theft number to contest these debts. And whatever you do, don’t make a “good faith” payment on anything - then you own it. Since he has done this to you, you may be able to legally revisit paying $1,900 a month to him… Best of luck.
Are you thinking of an IP PIN from the IRS? That would prevent anyone from filing tax returns with OP’s social, but it has no impact on other uses of your social security number. SSA doesn’t verify uses of your social security number in credit applications etc, and they do not offer any sort of PIN.
I had an identity theft perpetrated on my many years ago and the IRS issued me a TIN or taxpayer identification number to replace my ss number. I don't know if this is still done as it was 25+ years ago.
I believe the IP PIN process has superseded that - the only people that are eligible for ITINs now are immigrants who are not currently eligible for an SSN but are allowed to work. Unsurprisingly, as identity theft has gotten more common they needed an easier system for dealing with it. :(
Credit freeze, not lock. They aren't the same. Clark Howard has a guide at his website.
Ooof.. OP probably should have done that from the beginning, good lesson to learn from someone else’s unfortunate experience
Also, reach out to each lender that issued those credit cards. Ask for the fraud department. Provide the police report and dispute the account. Your ex will possibly be going to jail. Not your problem. I’ve been hit with identity theft. It was a pain in the ass, but I was able to get every fraudulent account closed and removed from my credit report.
Came here to say this
>He's in big trouble if he stole your identity. Like, prison and exit port expansion type trouble.
exit port expansion just made my fkn day LOL
Do file a police report. Then use the report number to give to the credit agencies. In a matter of days, he’ll be arrested. Let him be arrested. He knew what he was doing and did it maliciously. He thinks he’ll get away with it and you’ll pay the debt because he’s betting on you to be a punk ass. Surprise! You’re not a punk ass and he’ll realize that when the deputies knock on his door. Ignore him. Make your payments. Let him go to jail for this. Then enjoy your quiet while he’s there.
100% this your ex is committing a serious crime and will likely be put in prison
And make sure to give the lawyer all the convos had.
This is literally the only answer. Call the police, do not engage with the ex.
And don’t drop the charges, no matter what he or his family says, begs, whines, cries, etc. he committed a crime and you shouldn’t be on the hook for that
This.
Yup. Police are likely going to lock him up.
He won't need any $ in jail
she has little proof it seems. I would get proof first. send a dumb text saying "what do I need to do so you stop opening credit cards in my name" and clouds judgement, bet he's dumb enough to rat himself out
Doesn’t matter. She can dispute them and file a police report and tell them she suspects the ex. She doesn’t have to prove it.
Exactly right. And she certainly can describe the phone conversation to police. And she describe the conversation in court under oath. Better if she takes notes as to the date and time of the call as well what was said.
It is probably pretty easy to figure out who opened a credit account you just need to see where the purchases where bought.
It's very easy to prove that identity theft once you have a suspect... It might be as simple as looking at the items he bought and see if any of them were shipped to his house, if any of the transactions come from his computer, etc. Let the police and the DA worry about proving it.
Fun thing. She won't be the one pressing for charges, the banks will be. Once she has filed the report and notified the credit agencies and the banks the cards are on, the card issues will go after him, and they know where they mailed the cards to
And make SURE you have anything they said in any written form (like maybe texts?) in a safe spot. Download it to your computer. Print it out.
If he threatens you file an order of protection immediately. It is ti.e to go nuclear on his ass.
This is the way. It’s a felony
This
Exactly. Press criminal charges. Hopefully his statement is in email text or vmx you can give to authorities.
This. File a police report for identity theft. Lock down your social security number so he cannot do any more damage. He is in HUGE trouble. Identify theft is not a joke. Once you file a police report, take that number and contact each of the accounts that were opened fraudulently. Tell them what happened and give them the number. Once the fraud is proven, those accounts will be removed from your credit report and you will not be responsible for any debt that your ex racked up. Things are going to suck for a bit, but you will come out okay. Your ex...not so much. You may want to ask your lawyer if you will have to continue spousal support for the person who commited a crime against you.
Save all communication with him about this. If he hasn’t already, get him to admit it in a text or email or something.
I agree. Especially if it occurred after the divorce. You may not even be responsible for the charges and he could go to jail. Call the police file a report and let the Card issuers know of the fraud.
I believe identity fraud is a felony. That should wake him up
Talk to your divorce attorney. Have him draft an affidavit to memorialize the conversation. Do this now while it's fresh in your mind.
This can't be up voted enough. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Definitely like first thing first is call the police
I'd advise her to call her lawyer first. Most likely they will say to call the police. Ex screwed up bad here.
always find it funny people say call cops first. your lawyer can make a better report than you can for sure
I'm guessing most people don't already have an attorney and it doesn't occur to them to get one before filing police reports
This person definitely has an attorney on speed dial.
They would need to file a report with the police if they want to not be held responsible for this money.
I should've put that in the OP and I'll edit it in but I did call the police shortly before posting this. They had high priority calls at the time but they did give me a report number about an hour ago.
Lawyer can have payments put in escrow until it goes through court. Might take a little bit though
OP, make sure you get an IRS pin so he can't steal your tax refunds.
go to identitytheft.gov. it has all the steps you'll need and even some you haven't considered. it's very easy to use.
What he did is very likely in violation of the divorce decree and your attorney should be exploring punitive contempt of court proceedings if available in your jurisdiction
I’m sure he will enjoy jail lol
Yeah, he won't have to worry about your checks coming as he'll get room and board there.
He'll need some cash for commisary...
File a police report, and report the identity theft to each bank/card company. You'll have to submit the police report to them. The items should come off your credit report pretty quickly, but for anything that doesn't update within the next few weeks/month you can file a dispute for with each credit bureau. You should talk to your divorce lawyer, just to see if they have any other suggestions or if this is relevant to your case. You shouldn't need to sue him because he didn't steal money from you, he stole money from the credit card companies. You don't have to sue him to get them their money back. You do have to prove to them it's fraud, and that's what your police report will do, so that's where you should start. Also: Create accounts with at least the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Then, freeze your credit (you can Google if you have trouble finding the right link, you're looking for a credit freeze, not a lock). Do not use a password or username he could guess. The identity theft subreddit has more resources and next steps. There are more things you can do, but the first steps are filing a report, notifying the companies that these are fraudulent accounts, and freezing your credit to prevent further damage.
You may want to consult with your divorce lawyer on this, they may have professional experience on this type of thing. It seems to me that you do not have to sue your ex- to get the money back. Just file a police report for fraudulent ID theft, and use that to dispute the various accounts on your credit reports and with the issuing banks. Because your ex- opened these accounts without your permission, you do not owe this money. He may wind up facing criminal penalties for this, but the $1900 a month you are sending him will keep his prison commissary account nicely funded.
He will certainly be seeing jail time for this. The ex didn’t steal money from OP, he stole 40k from credit card companies. Once OP proves she didn’t take out that credit, the companies and the state go after whomever did use the credit cards and charge them with as many felonies as they can find.
File charges. Get a police report. Send it to all creditors and put him in jail.
People try this all the time, and go to jail for it. Take everything you have to your divorce lawyer and then to the police. Do not let this creep get away with it. You’ll be able to use the police report to fix your credit. Also call the credit card companies and have those new accounts shut off.
Oh, you lucky gal! Go straight to the police and report him for identity theft. You send the police report to the creditors, they have to take it out of your name. Your ex will be arrested. Unlikely he will be sent to prison, but this is so egregious the judge just might send him. Talk to an atty about revisiting the spousal support order and having it eliminated, under the circumstances. Keep all communications in writing, preserve as evidence.
Right? The Ex just gave her a huge gift. Hopefully the idiot was dumb enough to text her about this.
See if you can file charges against him. Seriously! That's identity theft. Also, call the credit card companies and see what they can do. As far as him getting his money one way or another, I wouldn't do a damn thing. If the agreement was for 18 months, then he can wait the 18 months.
You need to call your lawyer NOW. It does not matter if he uses your info for credit cards to get his money, you will still have the order for the $25k. He’s double dipping. Call your lawyer and the police as the only way you can get things removed from your credit report is a police report. On the bright side, he’s given your lawyer a golden opportunity to have spousal support reduced or outright dismissed. Judges do not like shenanigans like this.
Step 1: [www.identitytheft.gov](http://www.identitytheft.gov)
Contact the credit card companies and tell them that you did not open these cards, do not have possession of them and have never used them. They will determine fraud, and go after your husband legally
Have his ass arrested or have uncle Tony and da Boyz go have a talk wit him oh and lock your credit after you report him for theft
File a police report. Record conversations with him. Go here and follow the steps: Identitytheft.gov
Press charges. Identity theft is a federal crime. Also I think possibly grand larceny. It’s the only way to clear your credit.
Lmao, I love when stupid people admit to doing illegal shit. Reporting it to the police can help you dispute the fraudulent activity.
File a police report.
Just call the police and tell them exactly what he did and have proof. That much stolen thru identity theft will put him in jail.
If you're in the US your ex husband committed fraud and you can press charges. Hopefully you've contacted the various credit reporting agencies and locked down your credit. Go to the police and get a police report about the illegally opened accounts. That will allow you to get your name off of those accounts and taken off of your credit report. Talk to your lawyer and see if it's possible to start paying the money you owe him into an escrow account until the identity theft case is finished. 40K in credit card fraud is a felony-- sounds like this guy just trashed his future for nothing.
Why stressed? He just handed u everything. A 1st year law student could run with this. Talk to your lawyer, or any lawyer and start working on it. The judge overseeing the divorce will slam him for this. He really messed up
Wow. Your ex is into identity theft, fraud, and extortion/black mail. Get with your lawyer and rain hellfire on this idiot.
Cut all contact with him. Call the police. Take that report and call the card agencies and report them as fraudulent. Lock down your credit. He is looking at jail time.
Wow what a prick. Call the non emergency police & tell them you are the victim of identity fraud. Dont let him get away with this b/c this is going to take a lot of time & effort on your end. Start with either calling the police or going to the police station in person. Good Luck!! This too shall pass (eventually)
Call the police.
File charges against the ah do what others said Man henis sure trying to extort you
I'm having a hard time understanding WHY you aren't comprehending that He STOLE your identity, committed FRAUD....and yet you're talking about spousal support? REPORT his ass! If ge stole your CAR....would you be this confused? About calling the POLICE 🚔.....C'mon now? This is NOT your debt....it is Theft.....Report it FTC Dispute Prosecute Freeze Credit Add fraud alerts ⚠️ Inform Divorce Attorney/court/sue
I see so many comments already but - wouldn't you treat this like any other identity theft situation? Dispute it with the creditors, file a police report, etc? Or is it different because y'all just divorced?
File a police report
For one thing, have him criminally prosecuted. You can end your monthly payment to him by having the court apply the balance of the 25k your paying him to the restitution he has to make to you. No way will it make sense to a court for you to have to pay him ao he can pay you. Get your payments legally ended, and how he manages for the rest of his life is his problem. Meanwhile, freeze all your credit so no one can open new accounts in your name or use the ones you presently have. It's free and its easy. Only unfreeze the accounts when you use them and lock them again. https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
That’s a crime. Report him
[удалено]
This is the 3rd time I've seen this scenario posted, and as on the other posts, the user is not engaging with commenters.
Find a great lawyer!
Call the cops
Screenshots of him admitting it too!!
Contact your lawyer immediately and they'll help you contact the police. They'll explain how to contact the credit bureau to remove it from your credit. Be patient but persistent. I'm sorry. It's obvious why you're divorced.
Cool so you got him to confess hopefully in writing. So you don’t need to talk to him anymore. Go to the police press charges for fraud then go to your lawyer because with all this maybe you can get out from that spousal maintenance and finally remove every last bit of that tumor.
Call the cops and report him. You are far from alone in having this happen. Since you have him already basically admitting he opened the cards, it should be an easy case to close which always interests police. Freeze your credit so he can’t keep doing this. Let him be prosecuted. When he cries that you are doing this to him, remember he did all of this to himself. He chose to steal your identity to steal money and make your life more difficult. Use the police report to dispute the debits. You’ll be ok.
This is every ex’s dream opportunity-a chance to possibly send them to jail.
Call the police, press charges. Once you have a case number contact the credit card companies and inform them those accounts were opened fraudulently with forged signatures. They will want the case number. Your ex is going to need money for a criminal lawyer soon enough.
Call the police. Duh. What else would you do?
File a police report for identity theft, notify your attorney, notify the creditors that it was fraud, and do not pay them a dime. If you pay one cent towards these debts, the credit cards consider it your admission that it is your responsibility to pay.
Just call the police and this is fixed in a few weeks. If you don't it won't be.
You need to lock your credit with all 3 major agencies, call a lawyer, and then call the police. Most of this is WAY above Reddits pay grade.
Lock down your credit for each bureau. Make sure to right down passwords somewhere as you may need it later. Ask for reports from each. You can get them free I think 1x per year from each bureau. Identify any cards he may have opened in your name and report them stolen/have them cancelled. You can report with each cc company and policy
What a doofus. The man got alimony...which is rare...and a decent one at that and does this? Not only did he just lose that but he's probably going to jail.
You really have no choice in this but to file a police report, which will likely result in criminal charges, and he will probably be sentenced to jail time. That is the only option if you don't want to have your credit permanently ruined and have to pay the full $40k plus the support amounts you are already paying.
What he did was illegal. You don’t need to pay your lawyer to chase him on this. Go straight to the police and file a report. Your ex will be arrested. The police report numbers will help you dispute everything with the credit card companies.
If your divorce was final and he racked up the debt, then you can file criminal charges. It's better to text and have it in writing than speaking to him. You don't speak, you get it in writing. Or record the conversation if you are one state consent. If two way consent, you say for the record and If he answers I don't care then you have consent. Why didn't you cancel him from your credit cards. Collect all charges and if your payroll shows you were at work when purchases were made, you can prove not you. You can ask for all records since they are under your name or a lawyer can do the discovery. If put his address on it, he has to explain why. Go to court and explain he has outspent what is owed.
This is fraud. Even if you were married it would be fraud. Report to credit agencies, file a police report, and call your attorney. If you don't already, try and get your ex to admit to it in writing, text messages, email, etc. Don't let this go.
You need a police report, and credit bureaus will remove them from your credit.
I like how he comitted an actual crime and then admitted it. Fantastic. Talk to police next as advised by others. He'll be prosecuted (his actions, not your fault or problem) and the debtors will respond to the police report so you're off the hook.
This is awesome. Now he gets to go to jail! Maybe the judge will rescind some of that spousal support as well! ***Call the police IMMEDIATELY***
That’s quite literally a crime so I’m not sure why you haven’t already pursued criminal action for fraud and identity theft??
Now he gets to lose more money. Text him asking about it so you have proof. Then go to the police. Then talk to your lawyer about eliminating everything you owe him due to him stealing your identity.
This is all illegal. Identity theft, credit card fraud, blackmail/extortion. Go to the police and file a report. Then file disputes under the FCRA with all three credit bureaus, and attach the police reports/numbers as evidence. Freeze your credit and set up alerts. Consider applying for a new social security number. This will help protect and restore your credit. Then report this situation to your divorce attorney. Your ex is gonna find out real quick. By the way, your husband isn't entitled to anything not in the divorce decree.
File an identity theft report with the police. Do not pay a single dime on the cards he opened, and report those as fraud to the banks involved. Make sure he doesn't have any of your actual credit card numbers, and change logins/passwords if necessary. Same for bank accounts. Same for any email accouts that are tied to your legit accounts, because those would allow him access.
Freeze your credit and provide the credit companies with the police report.
Turn his ass in. Once he’s in prison, he’s going to have a hell of a time collecting. 😂
Hah your ex is fucked. Call the police, the bank, and your lawyer.
Dispute everything, Call the police (or go down to the station and make a report). Give them evidence of exactly what you're disputing and get the report numbers for the credit bureaus. Contact the 3 credit bureaus to report identity theft/fraud, give them the police reports and your statement on the matter including all evidence that implicates him in the matter...especially because it sounds like he may have admitted some of this in text messages. In the mean time have them lock/freeze your credit (which will prevent new accounts from being opened). Contact your lawyer that handled your divorce and give them a heads up as this grossly breaches the agreements and you're likely going to be entitled to damages (including possibly nulling out any spousal maintenance due to him committing identity fraud to harm you). Stand your ground...once your ex finds out you reported him for identity fraud he's going to either try and become super nice for you to drop the report or he will get incredibly hostile. It may be worth requested a restraining order while reporting the identity fraud to prevent him from approaching and contacting you.
Lock you credit reports. Go to the police station and file a report. Tonight. Call your divorce lawyer or get a new one so you can file to stop paying him. Call each credit and tell them your Identity was stolen and by whom. Provide a copy of the police report I personally would not give him a dime. Get him admitting what he has done in text messages or writing. But I wouldn't give him anything, this has to extenuating circumstances.
This is just fraud. It’s separate from the divorce, but it’s fraud and identity theft. Report it to the police and to the credit card companies and have the accounts closed and get your credit locked.
That has to be a felonious amount……. Consult your divorce lawyer and the police. He may have just screwed himself out of the rest of that alimony you owe him. And don’t pay one cent of any of those debts. Those are his and his alone, if you pay you’ll be liable.
If you have been a part of any data breach you usually qualify for credit monitoring. I use the free one from Experian. It is so annoying but I know every single hit to my credit. I get texts or emails on credit inquiries or opening new accounts. It is 100% worth it to me. If it wasn’t free I would pay for the service just for the peace of mind.
What your ex-husband did is fraud. Call the police. Make a report. Dispute the charges with the credit card companies and submit to them the police report. You’ll get the credit cards and the delinquencies removed from your credit report, the debts will no longer be yours, and your stupid as dirt ex-husband will go to jail. Do it NOW.
Press criminal charges! Freeze your credit. And make no payments to him until this is resolved in criminal court.
You need to be absolutely heartless about pressing theft/fraud charges. I would call a postal inspector and get them involved, too, as the credit cards were physically mailed to him, and they don't get distracted by "more important" cases like local detectives very well might.
1) Text him about it and have him respond, affirming it was him that did this: that's evidence. 2) call the police and file a report 3) watch him be arrested for felonies
He's committed identity theft and fraud. Press charges. My ex did this to me and I would've pressed charges but he's his children's only living parent and I didn't want him to go to jail and then be left alone. In hindsight I should've pressed charges. My credit is still crap because of him.
Congratulations on taking the first step by reaching out for help in this challenging situation. It’s clear that this has been incredibly stressful for you, but rest assured, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and potentially turn this situation to your advantage. First, understand that any creditor who opened a line of credit in your name without your permission is potentially liable in a lawsuit. This could be financially beneficial for you. Here are some steps you should take immediately: First, here are some specific steps you should take immediately: 1. **Go to the Federal Trade Commission’s Website:** Collect all your information, including your credit report and any accounts you believe were opened fraudulently. The FTC’s website will guide you through the process of reporting identity theft. 2. **File a Police Report:** After obtaining the report from the FTC’s website, file a police report. This is crucial for disputing fraudulent accounts and working with creditors. 3. **Get a Hold of an Attorney:** Consult with an attorney in your state. Most attorneys will take this case on contingency, meaning they won’t charge you upfront; they will make their money from the award of the lawsuit itself. If awarded punitive damages, you will personally benefit from the action. 4. **Do Not Contact Creditors Yet:** Wait until you have spoken with an attorney before contacting any creditors. Your attorney will guide you on the best course of action and help ensure your rights are protected. 5. **Monitor Your Credit:** Keep a close eye on your credit reports to ensure no additional fraudulent accounts are opened. I hope this helps. Good luck, and stay strong. By taking these steps…
This is fraud, call the police
Call your Divorce Lawyer and follow his instructions.
Identity theft and fraud are serious crimes that he's committed. Time for police involvement.
Call. The. Police.
Police report, press charges, take no crap.
Go to the police and report the cards and theft. Take said documents and report to the credit cards that this is identity theft. Also contact your divorce attorney immediately regarding the fraud. Sooner you act, the sooner this is all solved in your favor. Doing nothing means he's going to bleed you dry for the rest of your life.
Bad news for him is that he committed a felony and state’s don’t allow self-help. If he believes you owe something you are not paying - he can go through the courts. If he is making a preemptive strike to get money not yet due and owing - just an idiot. Make your police reports and then contact the credit card companies. Ask your lawyer if this might provide grounds to go back to civil court. I would need longer to pay what I owe him because I had to spend money clearing up his fraud.
Lock your credit down, call law enforcement and your attorney....STAT! You'll need police reports to fix your credit and for the fraud charges you are filing because Naturally you're doing that?
Freeze your credit. File a police report. He committed fraud and should go to jail for it.
Call the police and have it reported. He may think it's his way of getting money out of you but it's also an easy trip to prison. He likely just fucked himself over in a very serious way both legally and financially.
Get all of this via text or email. Then get the police involved. Make a police report. Notify the fraud department of your credit card company and your bank. Put a freeze on your credit. Go back to court. All of this is criminal.
Have him arrested, lock your credit, and begin challenging every expenditure.
First of all, keep paying your monthly $1900 to him. It's still legally owed at this point. Get a lawyer as soon as possible, contact your bank and the police, and explain what is happening. You clearly need to take legal action. Your ex husband is an idiot, and clearly not very smart. He's going to end up far more broke than he was previously because of this. Even if he can't pay the money back, you can get your credit score repaired, and avoid liability for all the money he spent.
That’s a couple felonies worth of fraud at least. Potentially one per card. File a police report and get a lawyer, it’s the only way. Good new is that some of that 25k you still owe can go to a lawyer since you won’t owe it to him anymore.
Call the police and file a report with the credit bureaus ! His ass can do some serious time in jail for what he did !
Go to this website and start the reporting process: [https://www.identitytheft.gov/](https://www.identitytheft.gov/) It tells you who needs to be informed, etc and what you can do. It includes reporting the theft to the police and it provided a checklist so you can keep track of what you've done.
Well don't let him get away with it
How does someone open a credit card in someone else’s name? Isn’t it a crime ?
What do you mean you don't know what to do. What would you do if a stranger did this? Call your lawyer, call the police. Put a freeze on your credit. Do not pay ANYTHING towards these bills, that will be you accepting the debt. He stole your identity. This is a crime.
Congratulations, File charges for identity theft. Doesn't matter who it was they forged your signature and used your social. Alongside this, get a lawyer and this would violate the agreement and allow you to break from the payments.
File a police report. Please do this honey or you are fucking yourself over.
Call police.
He committed fraud, you.need to contact the credit card companies, open a case with the police, and start the fraud process against him. If you can as well try and freeze all the cards he's opened as well, just so eh can't do any.more damage against you.
If he opened those credit cards after the divorce, that's called fraud and you should file a police report. Call the credit card companies and provide proof of the divorce date and the police report, and report the fraudulent activity.
What your husband did was felony fraud. Go file the police report today. He will be tried and convicted and you will get free and clear of the debt. Win/Win.
Police. That is identity theft and fraud. Document everything. Once you get a case number and a report, use it to send to each account to remove and you need to FREEZE your credit until this is fixed. We don't negotiate with toxic idiots. Your ex just tanked his own life by committing federal crimes. No mercy, he would have screwed you over for decades.
Get cops involved but. Since he confessed, make him say it in writing, via text. He sounds very dumb. Use it in your favor.
Since you are divorced, this is nothing more than identity theft, plain, and simple. Report him to the authorities, local and federal. He will be in a world of pain.
Police is the obvious first step. This is fraud. He's admitted to it.
That’s called a felony. Get the police involved.
Freeze your credit and file charges
UpdateMe
Please call the police And your lawyer
He played himself and committed identity theft and fraud. He isn't going to see any money. Call your lawyer and the police.
Police report asap. Collect all your evidence, if you have anything or can get him to admit its him that’s good to. You might have a case to get the spousal maintenance thrown out too if he gets jail time.
He’s a supreme idiot & what he did was extremely illegal
Christ. Why haven’t you reported this fraud yet. Call police and card companies. Advise your lawyer what he is doing.
Police report, fraud. Felony amounts.
Call the police & FBI for identity theft. Since he’s using it online it will fall under the FBI for cyber crimes. https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/report-fraud
He’s doing you a huuuuuge favor by sending himself to jail. Press charges and update us if you’re lawyer allows
In addition to talking to the police and a divorce attorney, make sure you do not make any payments to any creditors or debt collectors who contact you. Many will try to get you to make a single payment or a "goodwill payment" or something like that, and then will try to use it to get you on the hook for that debt. Refuse to pay any of it.
I’d speak with your attorney. Besides identity theft and fraud I’d find out if he violated your divorce decree and possibly nullified your requirement to pay spousal support.
Police report, lock down credit, call your lawyer.
You'll likely want to get the police involved, but my first call would be to your lawyer.
Report it to the police and credit cards this is fraud. You may get out of having to pay as well.
You should get him admitting to it via text. Not that you need that level of proof. You know it was him. Call the police and report him for fraud. Get a police report. Now that's his debt and he can pay it off and the penalties for credit card fraud.
Won’t need money when he’s in prison. $40k?! Holy felony. Damn idiot.
This stinks of boomer behaviour. I’m willing to bet the husband is a boomer.
Call the police, put a freeze on your credit and inform them of your identity being stolen.
If the divorce is final… ouch 😣 he’s in for a rude awakening