Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Georgia

You should never have done this. You authorized your sister to use your information, so this is your debt. This not really a case of identity fraud or theft and you can't have your sister put in jail.

However, this debt should not be on your credit report any longer if it has been 10 years since she last paid. If she is still paying, that's a different situation. It doesn't matter when the account was opened, but when the account was last paid.

So when was the date of last payment on the account by anybody? Where was the account opened? In Georgia? Or another state? Debts can stay on your credit report for 7 years after they are sent for collection or charged off. What does your credit report say? It is illegal to "refresh" the date of the debt if its already expired and this can be disputed.

If interested, you can contact me via email at [email protected].

I can review your credit report and dispute the debt for a reasonable fee or you can do it yourself. If the debt validly is on your credit report, you can add a 100-word statement to your credit report, but it may not make much difference to a lender. It will depend on how long ago the debt was last paid. If the debt is validly on there but will be dropping off soon, then I would not worry about it.

It's your debt, not hers, since you authorized it.

However, if the debt is more than 7 years old, it is no longer allowed to be on your credit report. That date depends on information you have not provided.

And depending on the state where the account is/was, the statute of limitations on collections may have run.

Additional information is needed to fully explain and evaluate your options, none of which likely involve your sister.