A new post on Reddit is absolutely blowing up because the parents involved are absolute a—holes for the scheme they pulled on their 20-something child. As an angry mob of Redditors pointed out, it could have devastating long-term consequences, and so well over 20 thousand users have gotten involved to say “WTF?!” and lend some advice.
A young adult joined the “Am I The A—hole? (AITA?)” subreddit to talk about their parents who secretly took out credit cards and loans in their name. YUP! The person who originally posted (the “OP”) said they don’t have a key to the mailbox, so they never saw the bills or anything.
“I just finished my third year of university and I was going to move out,” OP said. “That would require me to get a credit check and stuff.”
And so the parents’ plan quickly unraveled. They “freaked out” and forbade OP from moving out, saying it was a “stupid” waste of money.
So just how bad is it? “Long story short I am about $60,000 in debt because of them,” OP said.
*Jaw drop*
“I cannot afford to pay that off,” they continued. Because of course they can’t. Do you know many university students — or many average adults, for that matter — who can miraculously pay off $60 thousand worth of debt?! And even if they could, why should they be paying off someone else’s secret (but very real) debt?
“I told them that they needed to clear the debt immediately and change the house rules so my boyfriend could spend the night,” OP said. Which feels like it should be a totally separate conversation…
But we also feel like you can bargain however you want if your parents secretly set you back $60 thousand. OP’s parents said they don’t have the money and that they wouldn’t be “strong-armed” into changing the rules.
OP then called their aunt to see if they could stay with her for a while. “She let me and asked a lot of questions,” OP said. “Then she showed me a dozen Reddit posts about parents screwing up their kids’ future and kids allowing it.”
There are plenty of examples of the kids not allowing it too, and OP decided to fall into the latter category. They reported the fraud to the police and their parents were arrested and charged.
“They are furious with me,” OP said.
“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*ck up my future.”
So OP wants to know, “AITA for going to the police immediately when I found out my parents took out debt in my name?”
The internet is in total agreement that OP is not only not the a—hole (NTA), but they made the right move going to the police.
“It is identity fraud and it is illegal,” one person said. “Put a freeze on your credit and monitor your reports from now on. Tell them you are furious with them as well.”
“They have no right to be angry with you!” another said. “They committed fraud, and then tried to stop you from finding out! They have damaged your future job [prospects]! So you had to do something to repair it. Going to the police is the first step. They are disgusting! They should be [apologizing] and be begging for your forgiveness!”
“They are just angry that they now have to deal with the consequences of their actions. Even getting them arrested it is going to take time and a lot of headaches to fix it.”
Others are concerned with the credit card system and the fact that multiple could be opened without OP’s knowledge. “I find it baffling how it’s even possible to take out a credit card in somebody else’s name. That sounds like a huge systemic issue,” one person said. Others pointed out that it would be easy enough for the parents to do since they know their child’s information. Some users think it’s “greed” that motivates companies to not do proper checks.
“There needs to be punishments for companies who allow this,” one person said. “Like a fine, paying back the kid 3 times the amount they garnished, being charged with child exploitation, and being forced to pay to have the report taken off the kid’s record. Then let’s see how many companies are willing to let parents open cards in their kids’ names.”
Systematic changes aside, Redditors insist that OP did the right thing by reporting their parents and say it was “imperative” for their financial health. How can they expect to buy or rent a house, take out a loan, or get reasonably-priced insurance with debt like that?
“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.”
And I guess that really is all that’s left to say. Good luck to OP. And some might even say good riddance to their “disgusting” parents.
Before you go, check out some of Reddit’s most horrifying money disaster stories.
