Update for: http://ift.tt/2kJX8GE
So I posted this a while back looking for advice and got a bunch of great advice from the community here. =)
Just wanted to post an update on what I did and how I got it resolved.
Firstly, after getting my credit report and noticing the fraudulent debts, putting 2 and 2 together to realize it was my father who utilized my name and SSN to open these accounts with various utility companies and never paid, and then posting here for advice, I decided to dispute all of the debts with TransUnion.
The dispute process was simple enough. Just basically had to select from a list of reasons so I selected something along the lines of "No knowledge of this debt" or "Debt doesn't belong to me". Something like that.
After about 2 weeks, I received an e-mail from TransUnion stating my credit was updated. Opened up the link and saw that all but one of the debts was removed. The only one remaining, while still not mine, was "verified" as belonging to me somehow. So, I called up my father, had a chat with him about what he did, and worked out a payment plan he could afford. Called up the debt collectors, told them it wasn't my debt but they didn't care. Told them I want it off my report so I'm willing to pay but not the full amount. Ended up negotiating a 50+% discount on the amount. The full amount was $873 but is now $400 at $40/mo. Then, with authorization from my father, I had the debt transferred to his name and he's now responsible for paying the debt collectors directly.
My credit score went from 562 to 733 today.
So, moral of the story: Don't just report your parents for fraud. Dispute the debts, provide evidence if you can (I had to mail in some disputes), and try and work out a reasonable payment plan with your parents and the debt collectors. Most importantly, have the payment responsibility transferred to them. Both you and your parents have to authorize that with the debt collectors.
Thanks again to everyone who sent me advice on the matter! =)
Submitted March 04, 2017 at 08:41PM by BlackBeltPanda http://ift.tt/2mouTBa
