Sometimes the mystery you're trying to solve has an answer you really don't want to find. This guy spent months trying to figure out why his credit score was completely wrecked. He ran through all the usual suspects: maybe he forgot to pay something, maybe an old bill slipped through the cracks and went to collections. The kind of self-blame that hits when you see a number that low and can't explain it.

The Moment Everything Changed

In a post that recently went viral on Reddit's r/entitledparents, the poster described the exact moment his confusion turned into horror. He was applying for something routine when a bank employee asked a simple verification question: "You've had these accounts since 2022, correct?"

That's when it clicked. "I swear I felt my soul leave my body," he wrote. He didn't open any accounts in 2022. Someone else did. And that someone was his own mother.

"My mom stole my identity almost three years ago," he explained. "Opened accounts, missed payments, racked up balances… the whole disaster package."

When he finally confronted her, she didn't even try to deny it. Her response? "You didn't need good credit for anything anyway."

There's a special kind of betrayal when the person who's supposed to protect you is the one who destroyed your financial future. Now he's stuck rebuilding from scratch, using a secured credit card that only lets him spend what he's already deposited. He calls it "the first thing in months that feels… safe."

The Internet's Verdict: File a Police Report

Reddit didn't hold back. The overwhelming consensus was clear: report her to the police, immediately.

"File a report for identity theft and give the police report to the credit bureaus and they'll investigate and wipe the racked up balances, opened accounts, missed payments," one commenter wrote. "She committed a felony. Several, actually."

Another person put it more bluntly: "Your mom didn't care about you, why wouldn't you return the favor?"

Multiple commenters pointed out that without a police report, those fraudulent accounts aren't going anywhere. Credit bureaus generally require documentation of identity theft before they'll remove things from your credit history. You can't just call them up and say your mom did it.

But this wasn't just about credit repair. For many Redditors, it was about boundaries and accountability.

"You forgot one important step: cut ties with that person who is no longer family," one person said. "Stealing in general is bad, but never steal from family."

Another added, "Tell her she doesn't need freedom anyway, see how she likes that logic when the cops show up."

A Problem More Common Than Anyone Wants to Admit

The comment section filled up fast with people sharing their own stories. Turns out, parents stealing their children's identities isn't some rare nightmare scenario. It happens all the time.

One commenter shared that their mother opened an electric bill in their name when they were three years old. Three. Others admitted they regret not reporting their own parents when they had the chance.

"Ten years later, I still regret not filing charges," one person wrote. "Still cannot have a normal life."

Another commenter nailed the psychology behind it: "She did this because she thinks no one will hold her accountable. Prove her wrong."

There's something particularly insidious about family identity theft. When a stranger steals your identity, the decision to report it is obvious. When it's your parent, the guilt and fear of breaking up the family makes people hesitate. But that hesitation can cost you years of financial struggle.

The lesson Reddit kept hammering home was simple: family doesn't get a free pass to destroy your future. Identity theft is identity theft, whether the perpetrator raised you or not.

For this particular Redditor, the road ahead looks long and complicated. But the community's message was consistent: protect yourself first, report the crime, and start the slow work of rebuilding. Because your mother might not have thought you needed good credit, but you do need a future that isn't haunted by debts you never agreed to take on.