MA child support family law, possible fraud using by father using daughter's social security number

Salem, MA Viewed 603 times. Posted about 1 year ago in Family

College tuition: My ex husband wants his daughter's social security number, She is 20. He legally has to pay me $8,000 every year towards college. She is a junior. He said he needs it to help get a loan for her college because he does not have good credit, but that "it won't effect her". He says it is the only way he can pay me. ( the first 2 years he is paying it out monthly to me). He has been married for 17 years, no other children.
Her fear and mine is that she thinks he found it and will use it illegally to obtain a loan with her name and will forge her signiture.
Is there anyway she can protect herself?
She already have an outstanding balance of over $40,000 which I am helping her pay back.
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Answers (3)

Thuong-Tri Nguyen

This attorney is licensed in Washington. Posted about 1 year ago.

The major credit bureaux have options to lock a person's credit file so that a prospective creditor has to go through several steps before getting access the person's credit file. The bureaux have websites where you can review information about their programs.

Each person can request a free credit report a year. Taking turns with the 3 major bureaux, a person can get 1 free credit report about every 4 month. Your daughter can monitor her file this way. The free reports can be requested online. The Federal Trade Commission has more information and the link to request the reports at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/freereports/index.html .

If the father has ever filed taxes with the daughter in his return, he likely already knows what her SSN is.

Henry Lebensbaum

This attorney is licensed in Massachusetts. Posted about 1 year ago.

I think that your husband is entitled to his daughter's social security number.
It is his daughter, and you have said nothing that supports a conclusion of potential fraud.

Jessica Ann Foley

This attorney is licensed in Massachusetts. Posted about 1 year ago.

It seems surprising to me that he doesn't already have your daughter's social security number as he probably claims her on his taxes. That being said, you can ask your ex-husband for you and your daughter to review the paperwork to make sure that everything is on the up and up. You can also put a fraud alert on her credit if you are concerned, and she will be contacted every time someone tries to open up an account or take out a loan in her name. You are right to be concerned, although it is possible that he needs her social security for educational loan purposes.

This response is general legal information but is not intended to give legal advice or counsel on any specific legal matter. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and should not be relied upon in lieu of legal counsel.