Identity theft is never pleasant, but it’s so much worse when the perpetrators are your family members. One Redditor learned this the hard way after being left to deal with the consequences after his parents stole his identity to open a credit card, which was used to pay for cruises.
The Redditor, who has remained anonymous, initially noticed that something was different when his parents went on two vacations in one year, when they weren’t known for going on vacations.
“My parents opened a credit card in my name and used the money to go on cruises. I thought it was odd they went on two in the last year, especially since they never went on vacations before,” the Reddit post began.
At the time, the poster had no idea that his parents were committing a federal crime – using his identity – to pay for their sailings. In fact, he only learned of the serious transgression once he was contacted by a collections agency looking to recoup the unpaid sum – which totaled more than $10,000.
“A couple of weeks ago, I got a letter from a collection agency wanting to work out a payment plan for more than $10,000 for a credit card I never had. Through my own investigation, it became obvious either my mom or dad opened the account in my name last year,” continued the poster.
Even after being caught red-handed, the parents attempted to deny their actions, trying to convince their child that he received the letter by mistake. But eventually, they admitted that they had secretly opened credit cards in the poster and his siblings’ names because they wanted to travel.
The seemingly unapologetic parents said they intended to make the monthly payments so their kids would never find out, but it became too expensive to do so.
Their only suggestion for their wronged child was to file for bankruptcy – but asked them to open a few more lines of credit first.
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“Their ‘advice’ to me was to file for bankruptcy, at which point my mom chimed in and said if I was going to do that, let them open up some more cards in my name first,” added the Redditor.
The ideal next steps would be some combination of filing a police report, contacting the credit bureaus, and notifying other potential victims – which in this case, include the poster’s siblings.
There are Cruises for Every Budget
With the lesson seemingly not learned by his parents, the poster turned to Reddit for sympathy and advice – with the online community urging the poster to turn his parents in for their crimes.
According to UC Berkeley, a reputable university, identity theft victims are not liable for any debts incurred on fraudulent accounts opened without permission.
“Your dad suggested that you file bankruptcy and your mom’s response was, ‘wait, let us run you further into debt first’. Both of your parents are fraudsters but your mom’s response is just sickening,” said one person in the comments.
“Please call the police. Do not allow these people to ruin your financial future. They do not deserve your compassion now,” they urged.
Read Also: What is the Best Way to Book a Cruise?
But considering cruises exist for every type of budget, there is really no reason that the parents needed to steal their children’s identity in the first place.
Popular brands like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line frequently offer voyages with totals in the low hundreds – and many travel websites and travel agents have access to discounts.
With ports all over the US – and the world – cruisers on a budget can also keep the cost low by choosing their embarkation port wisely, opting for closer destinations that will require less or no travel to get to the port.
Finally, cruise ships are often a good option for those with cash flow constraints because the fare doesn’t need to be paid all at once – with the final payment usually due between 90 and 180 days before embarkation depending on the cruise line and destination.
Typically, the cruise lines only require a small deposit at booking and guests can pay off the remainder of the total over time – either on their own or through a cruise line-run payment plan. Those who need more runway to come up with the cash can book their cruise further out, allowing them extra time to plan ahead.
