Help, my mum stole my identity!

- Search: Identity theft
- Get a free credit report

Rachel Wilson has always been careful with money. Her parents separated when she was young and her mother worked hard to support her while she was growing up.

Even as a teenager, Rachel took part-time jobs and set up a savings account so that she could pay for her own clothes and entertainment.

She worked her way through university and when, in her third year, she was sent a credit card, her first thought was to decline it. But then a friend told her that people with no history of repaying loans could find it hard to get credit.

"In order to build up a decent credit history, I decided to use the card a few times and then pay off the balance," says Rachel "I wanted to show lenders that I was trustworthy and always repay what I owe.

"I didn't want to be tempted to use the card too much, so I gave it to my mother and asked her to keep it and all the paperwork safe at home."

When her degree was over, she started work as a graduate trainee in a large retailer and decided that a car would make her life much easier, so she applied for a loan - and was rejected.

"I was really surprised, because they normally throw finance offers at you when you're a new graduate and I knew I had a perfect record."

But the mystery was soon solved. Rachel had moved back into her mother's home in Bournemouth while she established her new career and independent life - which is why she happened to be at home when a letter addressed to her arrived.

"It said that I owed £2,000 on the credit card, that the matter had been put in the hands of a debt collection agency and that I had 24 hours to repay them in full, or I'd be taken to court. I was incredibly shocked and called to ask when I had run up the bill and what it was for - but because my mother had all the paperwork and the card, I didn't get very far. I didn't even know the account number," Rachel remembers.

She asked her mother what had happened, "And Mum admitted that she'd used my card. She had huge debts and couldn't get credit herself. She'd been desperate but she wouldn't tell me exactly what she'd done. Although she must have been intercepting all the card statements and demands for payment."

Rachel was horrified and frightened. She didn't want to report her mother to the card company or the police, so she made an appointment with her bank to find out what the consequences of the debt would be. They told her that she would not qualify for any lending from them - or anyone else - for five years because her credit rating was now so bad.

So Rachel went home and Googled credit rating - which led her to CreditExpert. She signed up for membership and called the Experian customer helpline.

"They told me that the best thing I could do would be to pay off the debt in full. The debt would still show on my credit report but at least it would show that I'd settled it. I'd saved enough money to pay it off, so I did that immediately."

Rachel was so upset and shocked that she checked her credit report at least once a week. She is now debt-free and has moved out of her mother's home.

"What could I do?" she asks. "I couldn't land my mum in trouble, so I had to pay off the debt myself and live with the consequences of her actions. But I'm only 22 and it's going to be years before I can even think about things like cars or owning a home. My credit report will see to that.

"I just want to warn everybody not to trust anybody with their identity and their finances - not their partner or their family, not anybody. I've learned my lesson the hard way."

She is now getting further advice from Citizen's Advice. "And I still check my credit report once a week, in case anything else has gone wrong."

Rachel's name has been changed to protect her identity.