I got a credit card in someone elses name and set up a plan with the credit card company to repay the money...

Geoff C

If you admitted to the credit card company that you obtained the card by fraud then the account will switch over to your name and you will be responsible.

They should and will contact the person who's name you used and yes they can bring charges agaisnt you for it. The fact that you are trying to pay off the credit card will go in your favor in court but it is still a crime and still something you will be punished for.

Taz

They can still go after you.
Stealing someones idenity if a felony....

Bradley T

You set up a credit card in someone else's name for your benefit? Isn't that identity theft? A felony? Yes to both. You should be prosecuted. You should probably now accelerate that payment and inform the person whose name that account is in so they can take action to protect themselves from your "weak moment". Do the right thing and don't worry about the repercussions. If you are truly repentent, restitution should not be difficult for you, no matter the cost.

By the way, I doubt the credit card company would change it over to you. You could however get a credit card in your name, provided your own credit history would allow it, and use it to pay off the fraudulent account NOW. The damage has been done. You could take action now to show good faith in providing restitution.

The other party once they are aware of this act, can inform the credit bureau's about the fraudulent activity and protect themselves. Not sure whose call it would be for prosecutorial activity but need not concern ourselves with that. You must take action to protect the individual you damaged.

FT-5

Lets put it this way.. If it was my name on the credit card you used, you'd be paying it off from behind bars..... I don't care how bad of a period you were having with your life at the time, you are nothing more then a thief! Oh and the amount you'd be paying would be the amount to the penny you charged plus about 10 times that amount in punitive damages to me. Sorry I have no heart for dishonest people!

Steven C

The person should have gone after you for ID theft. The card company should have notified the state you live in.

TxTopCop

You're lucky that the CC company hasn't reported you for felony identity theft.... maybe they still will, after you pay in full.
Not a smart thing to have done.

ajsnskool

The card should be cancelled so that no additional charges appear on that account as the credit card company can't guarantee it won't still go against the other person's credit. You can still pay it off, but no further charges can be incurred. As for the other issues, yes the person can press criminal charges (and federal charges against you if you used the card on the internet). Its called identity theft, credit card fraud, (and mail fraud if you used the internet), as well as a number of other various serious charges. Can we say prison time? You've probably destroyed this person's credit rating so you're pretty much guaranteed to be found out when this person either applies for credit and is denied or gets a free credit report and sees the account on their name as well as past due payments. If you really want to make things right, you should take the initiative here to contact the credit reporting agencies and tell them what you did, that the account/charges do NOT belong to the person who's identity you stole and then take the consequences rather than making the other person pay dearly for what YOU did.

bertha

The mistake you are making (besides the identity theft in the first place) is that you have any say at all over what happens to that account. It's not in your real name, so it's not your account. It doesn't matter that you've been using it fraudulently. So you can call the creditor, but they will not be able to give you any information on the account or let you change anything on it. If you have not left a paper trail leading to you, you can simply walk away and vow never to do it again. The credit card company will write it off once it's been discovered and determined a fraud. The person who's name is on the card does not have any liability because they are not the ones who applied for the card. They will be inconvenienced by it, but should not ent up with any financial burden. However, if you've left a paper trail, such as making payments to it via personal check, or ordering things to your address, your only choice right now is to fess up, because you are going to be caught sooner than later. You should go directly to the police and tell them what happened. They will cover it from there. If you are a first time offender, you will likely get no jail time, but you may get a felony or misdemeanor on your record and simply have to pay back the credit card company like you were going to in the first place. One last choice you have, if you know the person is to make a tearful confession to them and hope they have the heart not to turn you in. Then you can at least avoid the police record. Good luck!

saejin

You can always have charges pressed against you when you steal money, and that is what you did. Just because you promise to repay, you still stole it. However, pressing charges requires effort, and if you get the persons credit limit cleared of YOUR debt, and any late payments that might have stacked up (this can be hard) they have little motivation to go after you.

If the credit company has moved the credit line to your name it will go against you, but only if they have releaved the original persons credit line.

I suggest you go get a loan in your name, clear the other persons credit line, and if there are any late payments write a letter to the credit card company and ask them to apply these to your credit line not the person you high jacked.

ID theft is a nasty crime punishable by time in jail.

First Lady

Umm, yes. That's credit card fraud as well as identity theft. If that person finds out and presses charges, you'll be going to prison for a long time. The person whose credit will be affected is the person whose name is on the card....the person who "owns" the account which in this case is the person whose name you used to open the account. You better start paying the credit card company on time every month and get it paid off and pray that the person whose name you opened it in never finds out.

Diamond

It goes against the other person as long as the card is under their name, but yeah they can press charges for identity theft.

chill out

I assume that the credit card company has no idea that this card is not in your name and that it actually belongs to someone else. The card and credit actually belong to the person who's name the card is in. If this person finds out that you have unlawful possession of their card and have used it, you can be prosecuted. This falls under identity theft and financial transaction device violations. These are both felonies with multiple years of imprisonment in most jurisdictions. I recommend that you pay off the debt you owe and destroy that card ASAP.

Ron M

As far as I am aware, yes. They can press charges even if you pay it off -- it was an act of fraud, and you can be prosecuted until the statute of limitations expires.

So - if you don't want to be prosecuted, it would be in your best interest to get that debt into your own name ASAP... only then you might be in a position to beg for mercy or leniency.

I can't answer if its in your name based on the information you provided.

kmr

unless you had it changed over to your name it still goes against the other person. and yes, then can press charges.

wendy.bryan

what you're doing is illegal, and the other person in on the hook for the debt as well as party to illegal activity.

if you fail to make the payments, that person would be half stupid not to rat you out. in fact that person should have an IOU specifying when/how much you will repay, enough to cover the entire credit card debt, including ALL accrued interest.

you're not very responsible with money, are you?

â™¥â™¥The Queen Has Spokenâ™¥â™¥

If the Credit Card company change the name of the ownership of the account to your name using your SS# etc, it will go against your credit record.

If the account is still in the person who's name you used, then you could be persecuted for Identity theft.

As far as I know the person who has the credit card is liable. Not you.

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