Mother's Day is a special time to celebrate all those kisses and hugs, the rides to the mall, the doctors' appointments, the countless soccer-basketball-baseball games, a special note tucked into a pocket or care package sent to camp. But remember sometimes it's what a person doesn't do that matters, and some moms are just bad to the bone.
More than 30% of identity theft cases involve a family member or close friend. The reason is simple: access. Whether it's your mother, father, foster families, siblings, close friends or your spouse—access often is the only catalyst needed to turn your credit report into a crime scene. Here are a few examples from the Mommy Dearest files.
Betz Noire
Axton Betz-Hamilton discovered she was an identity theft victim when she rented her first apartment and was told that a deposit was required to turn on the electricity because she had bad credit. She thought she had no credit at all. Her credit report said otherwise. Her assumption at the time was that whoever stole her parents' credit a while back had hit hers as well. That is, until the truth came out.
Axton's mom, Pamela Betz, died in 2013. Shortly after that, Betz says her father discovered a box that contained credit card statements in Axton's name, so he called to razz her about her profligate spending. He then discovered he also had some crazy spending and so did his father, who lived with them. They were all allegedly hit by Mama Betz.
No Cheers for This Mom
Some mothers have a hard time giving their kids space to grow and become their own person. Others can be smothering to the point that the child can't do anything on their own, but Wendy Brown took it to another level when she showed up for cheerleader tryouts at Ashwaubenon High School in Wisconsin.
With her daughter living in another state with family, Brown, 33, decided it was time to get her high school diploma—and it seems while she was at it, get another shot at the high school experience. She was caught by truancy officers and sentenced to three years in a psychiatric hospital.
GI Jane Deferred
Cassidy McKenna had just graduated from high school and was excited about enlisting in the armed forces. But when she signed up, they wouldn't take her. While it's generally known that bad credit can affect a soldier's security clearance, the Armed Forces will also turn down prospective recruits with unpaid debts that are overdue or in collection until the issues are resolved.
McKenna said she didn't know that she had bad credit. She had always lived at home and had no credit cards. The damage was caused by an outstanding electric bill for $1,755 and another $1,123 owed to a cable provider. When she confronted her mother about the bills, she said her mom went AWOL, only turning up at the Kerr County Courthouse where she was answering McKenna's theft charges against her.