Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Maryland

Obtaining credit by use of a minor child's name

Our fourteen year old step-daughter informed my husband and I that she is suspecting that her mother is using her name to obtain credit from creditors. Her mother and step-father have recently filed and was granted bankruptcy protection. Tonight she showed us an application she received in the mail from a credit card company offering her a credit line of $100,000. She has told us that she has seen other mailings from card companies and retail solicitors with her name on the envelopes. Her mother of course, hides the mail.

Is there a way we can verify that her personal credit is still safe at age fourteen and that this in fact is not occuring?


Asked on 6/15/01, 10:21 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Worsham Michael C. Worsham, Esq.

Re: Obtaining credit by use of a minor child's name

Your step daughter should order copes of her credit reports from the three main credit reporting agencies. In Maryland a person can order one free copy of their credit report per year for free. Call Trans Union, 800-916-8800; Experian, 888-397-3742; and Equifax, 800-685-1111. The credit reports will show you both what credit cards she has, and who has been looking at her credit history. I do not know the nature of the relationships involved, but if the credits reports show questionable activity, you could write and ask the other step parents to stop reqesting credit using your step daughters namw.- Michael Worsham, [email protected]

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Answered on 6/28/01, 6:50 pm


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