Urgent on fraud

could someone also define the term fraud for me, so I know in entirety what it is.

First of all, let me clarify that this site is not a substitute for legal counsel.

That being said, I don't understand how it is fraudulent, especially if your name is on the account and you are an authorized user with cards in your own name. With whom does she say she is going to file fraud charges? The credit card company? I don't know how she could do that. However, if she is fraudulently using your address as her own, then there may be some cause for concern--not between the two of you, but between you and the CC Company because you provided intentionally misleading information to them.

Where does the bill go? It comes to you with her name on it? Did you overcharge the spending limit or accrue unreasonable charges?
Did you have an agreement to pay and are now stiffing her on the bill? If so, she has a cause of action against you in small claims court ( depending on the amount) --not for fraud ( which is a criminal offense) but civilly.
Unless there is something you omitted, she has no grounds for fraud since your name is on the account. Now, if she actually doesn't have cards in her name and you opened the account without her knowledge, and have been using cards in her name, then she could bring a cause of action against you. But, if what you are saying is true, you are an authorized user and she has no grounds against you for fraud.

I still don't understand who the "they" is. Who is alleging fraud. The bank? the attorney? The police? Who are you afraid you are going to have to 'prove' this to?

Fraud is a crime. If you are guilty of fraud, you can be arrested, she can press charges, etc. So, unless the police are charging you with fraud, I don't understand what the concern is.

Let me explain to you how your posting doesn't make sense, and doesn't support your premise of a "verbal agreement". You state your mothers intention was to help you, presumably by giving you a credit card in her name. She had it come to your address so her husband wouldn't know about it. If that is/was the case, why would she do something so obvious as incur the prohibitive cost of an attorney ( something that would be very difficult to do without a spouse knowing) and secondly and more importantly, why would she cancel the account? If her goal was to "help you" ( and I'm not sure handing out credit cards is helping anyone) why would she close the account? That makes no sense. Also, another important point---the fact that she closed the account doesn't mean the bills stop coming--UNLESS she told them to stop sending them to YOU and start sending them to HER. That would, again, support the position that she had no clue, and that your use was illicit. Your stating the account was closed, therefore you got no bill is simply not the way it is handled, unless, of course, as I mentioned, Mom stepped in and got the bill sent to HER and told them you are not an authorized user/agent/contact for the account.

Her actions support the following scenario: ( Note: I am not saying this is TRUE, I am merely informing you of what makes sense to me--and what might make sense to the police if she attempts to press charges against you). YOU get MOMS credit card info ( I don't know of an adult child who doesn't know their parents SS info, DOB, etc. to fill out a credit card query), fill out the offer, send it in, put down YOUR name as "additional card user" and get yourself a card. YOU use the card, the bill comes to you, mom knows nothing. When Mom finds out, she cancels the card. Sure verbal agreements are binding in certain circumstances, but other prevailing factors that present a different picture carry more weight.

I suspect the cost of the attorney retainer is more than the credit card balance, again supporting the idea that Mom had no idea what was going on. What you are saying simply doesn't make sense.


If you want an accurate helpful answer, you are going to have to be truthful. No one here is pressing charges against you. But, you just need to see how your entire posting doesn't make any sense.

you'll have to excuse me my brain isn't making much sense right now. You have no idea how bad this is hurting me. This isn't the first time my mother has helped me by putting things in her name. She co-signed on my apt up in mich and also had a phone in her name at my apt. My brain is too tired to try and put the right input out. My mother is very strange, you would have to know the entire story between the both of us to understand that she would decide to back out of helping, once she agreed to it. My mother is a very complex person. She likes to make things difficult. She's crazy in ways. but everything i have said is truthful even though it might not make any sense.

You owe me no explanation, but what you have written above in no way is a plausible defense if you are accused. If you think you are going to be accused (by some party I have repeatedly asked you to name, yet you cannot), and you have done nothing wrong, you should have nothing to fear.