Opening a credit account when under age.....?

Question

I have an online credit account with a major high street branch to which I owe nearly £2,000. I have no way of paying this as I earn very littler money.

When I opened this account I was not legally allowed to do so. I was 17 at the time but had to be 18 to open the online account, so I lied about my age and was not asked to provide any documents to prove how old I was.

If I contact the company and tell them the above what would the circumstances be? Would it be possible for my debts to be cleared or would this be worse for me eventually?

Please help.

Answer 1

Girl girl girl! I assume if you told them you were 17 at the time the account was opened and its illegal to open one up until you're 18 - you might be fine.

  Wouldn't hurt to speak with them anyways.

  Also speak with a third party association. We have something called CAB - Citizens Advice Bureau which is a government organization to provide free advice on just about any issue.

  You might wanna do the same - to cover yourself, and to find out in detail about where you really stand.

  Don't just listen to the credit card company - they might have selfish interests.

  Regardless of how the situation works out - hope you learnt your lesson! :)

Answer 2

You were the one that committed fraud.  That's a great defense. Take that one to court!

Also- if you used the account after you turned 18 - you ratified it. That means you are stuck with the bill.  

Answer 3

What the h**l would you buy for 2,000????

Answer 4

You cannot claim you committed fraud to get out of this.  Fraud is a crime, while not paying a debt is a civil matter.  Even at 17 you could be jailed for committing fraud.  I would not bring this to their attention.

They probably have no legal way of collecting the debt, and very few creditors actually take you to court anyway.

This can stain your credit rating, and make it hard for you to buy a car, get another credit card, or even buy a house.  Auto insurance companies also consider your credit rating, so this could end up costing you more.

Answer 5

What you did is called fraud!

In Arizona, USA = jail time.