my husband's identity has been stolen

[emily_hope]

DH and I had our account numbers stolen and they were printing checks with our account numbers and they cashed some and used several to make purchases at several different stores. We were so lucky, when the first two checks were brought in from a liquor store where they had been cashed, the bank teller noticed right away that the checks were fradulent and called us. She immediately closed all of our accounts. We were not liable for any of the checks they had gotten away with using.
Do tell DH about your CCs... it's never good to have secrets in a marriage. JMHO.

[Jskell911]

I am so sorry you will be dealing with such a difficult situation as this identity theft. It can be grueling to straighten out.

That said, In my opinion, you should tell DS about the other CCs as well. I believe that in a marriage, finances should not be kept from a spouse. JMHO

[Michelle68]

I hope your dH gets everything cleared up. As someone else said, it might not be a case pf identity theft, but maybe just a mix up on the part of the credit reporting agencies.

As far as not telling your DH about the accounts you've opened, I really don't think that's a very good idea. I believe it's best to be honest with each other to keep a marriage healthy. Good luck.


--Michelle

[jvera]

Like the others mentioned it may just be a mix up instead of stolen identity. My daughter has the same name as me and her credit info is always showing up on my report. Every year I have to clean my report up.

[Hannahs mom]

Thanks for the advice. My husband was talking to our banker because he is in a joint business with his brother and suspected that his brother had been using his name to obtain credit for the business. Low and behold, someone had been using his credit. Thankfully it wasn't his brother!!!! We have since gotten the phone numbers of the credit agencies and of the places where credit was obtained and are in the process of calling them. I'm hoping that it was just a glitch with the names being the same and living in the same community. My hubby wanted to contact the other guy and ask him about it. Luckily I convinced him that probably wouldn't help any - at least not right now since we don't know all the info.

[mom2bobsarah]

My father in law has a debt that is on my DH's credit report (same name) and I guess there is a way to check that because every time it has come up (we have gotten a home equity line as well as a car since this appeared) and they are able to see that it is not our debt (it is in default). If it is a case of mistaken identity they can tell immediately. So it is probably safe to say that it was an identity theft situation. Make sure to file a police report (I know it was mentioned, it is worth repeating). Also, I am one who hid cc from my husband for awhile and came clean back in September. I cannot tell you the relief I feel for not hiding it anymore. He was upset and he was angry but he was happy that I fessed up to it without him finding out first. It will be ok and you will be better off telling him. Just my 2 cents from someone who has been there. Also, as a side note even with a freeze on your credit, accounts can still be opened. My best friend had her identity stolen and even after the freeze was put on (all three companies) there were still accounts open. You must be dilligent about checking your credit. Good luck and I wish you all the best.

[rachelMcK]

you need to fess up about the other cards. It make hurt your pride a bit, but its not worth trouble later on. I had to do it. I owed $600 on my cc that DH didn't know about, it really made me ashamed to admit it to him, but now being honest is the best policy of all.

[Kitten20]

His finances are in No way hurt by me having these cards. He makes much more money than I do and is able to pretty much buy what he wants. I see my CC's as my problem that I need to fix.

This last portion of your post really stood out to me. You are married -- it's a partnership. Your problems are his problems and vice versa. Just MHO. I really think you should reconsider your decision to hide these CCs from him. I know it will not be easy to "come clean", but it's the right thing to do. I imagine he will find out somehow eventually, so best to hear it from you and A.S.A.P. Also, I hope you are able to get the other problem worked out quickly and without too many hassles. Good luck!!

[krissyre]

Like everyone, I agree that honesty is the best policy.

Think of it this way -- if he does find out later, and knows that you didn't come clean all at once, it could seriously affect his ability to trust you in the future.

Telling him about it will be hard, but you might find that there is an upside. You won't have to feel so guilty about hiding something, or so nervous that he might find out. He'll know the worst, and the two of you can work on the problem together... share the burden, so to speak. We all mess up, it's how you deal with it going forward that makes the difference.

Just my $.02.

And, sending you lots of good vibes for getting the identity theft mess sorted out as quickly and painlessly as possible.

[karone]

a couple weeks ago i had a id thieft scare. after i got my credit report i told my fiance about my debt and we agreed that after i get contacts that i would pay the $2 thousand off with the money i get from taking surveys and reading email. he wasnt mad b/c he knew i had a time warner bill b4 i even told him about my credit report. he told me about his also and his isnt as bad as mine. so u really should tell him about ur credit cards. u might be surprised that hes not angry.

[Luv2BeFrugal]

I wouldn't hide anything...it can cause trust issues...

There were a whole bunch of CC #'s stolen recently. My parent's had this done... The company closed the cards and is sending them new one's, but charges are still going through on the old one (parent's aren't responsible)...it's up to $10,000 already!!! And those thieves stole a BUNCH of #'s!! I can't imagine what the totals are!! I can't figure out why the company is still letting charges go through???

Anyway, this is the second time it's happened to them... Sad world...

[dolphin]

Oh wow! I hope you get the identity problem fixed quickly!