“Dear Steve,

I was married to a man that was our sole supporter for 18 years, we seperated and he kept the house. 3 years later when he died i realized that he racked up over 40k in debt in cc’s and loans in my name that i did not know about. we also had a house that was lost to the bank. i have never had my own cc or any sort of loan or car loan and now feel bankruptcy is my only choice.

How do i prove that my ex opened and used cc’s in my name to avoid filing bankruptcy? if I do file does it matter the total amount? in other words is it worth fighting each credit report ding to lower the amount owed before hand? i have no claim to any of the debt on my report.

Veronica”

The Answer

Dear Veronica,

If you have not done so already you should get a consolidated copy of your credit report and check all three credit bureaus for credit that he took out in your name.

Next, contact your local police department and file a police report for identity theft.

Then you need to contact those lenders and let them know you are the victim of identity theft and credit fraud. Provide them with a copy of the police report if they ask for it.

After an investigation by the lender the items should be removed off your credit report and from your responsibility.

If too much time has past since he died or the lenders refuse to acknowledge you were a victim of identity theft then you should click here to find a local bankruptcy attorney to talk to.

My opinion is it is worth fighting it first.

Please update me on your progress by posting updates here in the comments section of your question. I’m very interested in how this works out for you.

Big Hug!

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