My dad committed identity fraud against me, leaving me $5K in debt — then got angry when I asked my uncle for help. What now?

Identity theft is a serious crime that often results in substantial financial loss for victims. But when the perpetrator is a family member, the emotional and psychological distress can be devastating.

Let’s suppose your father secretly opened a credit card in your name and wracked up more than $5,000 in charges over the last year. After confronting your dad about the issue, he blew it off as no big deal. But aside from feeling betrayed by your father, his actions have also left you with significant debt that you’re responsible to repay — plus, damage to your credit report.

In need of assistance, you lean on a supportive uncle for help with paying off the charges. And even though you’re the one who was victimized, your father ends up screaming at you when he learns that you went to his brother for help.

You may love your dad, but there’s no denying that he acted fraudulently using your identity, while failing to understand the severity of his actions. You aren’t in the wrong here — he is. And how you decide to respond to the crime he’s committed is entirely up to you.

Options for victims of familial fraud

While having a family member steal your identity is upsetting, the hard truth is that it’s a relatively common occurrence.

Fraud and identity theft are growing problems. In 2024, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) received more than 108,000 fraud reports, including identity-related scams, with Canadians losing over $600 million (1). Most of these crimes are never reported to police, especially when family is involved, so the real numbers are likely much higher.

Police-reported data also shows that identity fraud in Canada increased 2% to about 50 incidents for every 100,000 people in 2024 (2). “Identity fraud” is defined as someone using your personal information — your name, date of birth or Social Insurance Number (SIN) — to open accounts or make unauthorized purchases in your name.

Family members often have access to a child’s or youth’s personal information, which can make kids easy targets for identity theft. And when theft is committed by someone close to you, it puts you in a difficult position. You may have to decide between protecting your credit and personal finances, or protecting the parent or relative who committed the crime.

Victims of identity theft are generally not legally responsible for repaying the charges fraudsters have made in their name. Also, any dings on your credit score can be removed from your file once the fraud is proven. But to get to that point, victims must report the crime to police and credit bureaus, such as Equifax and TransUnion Canada. This can be a difficult decision to follow through on if the person responsible is your own family.

In your situation with your father, you decide not to report him to the police. Instead, your uncle helps you repay the fraudulent transactions. While that may avoid a family crisis, it leaves you with damage to your credit profile.

Because you were unaware your dad was wracking up debt in your name for months, missed or late payments may already be on your report. In Canada, negative flags like late payments can stay on your credit report for up to six years, depending on the province or territory you reside in and the credit bureau involved. These flags can make it harder for you to qualify for loans, credit products or even lease agreements.

You can contact the lender to explain the situation and ask it to remove negative marks. But creditors and credit bureaus aren’t obligated to correct your record without a police report. Many lenders will only investigate identity theft when official documentation shows a crime took place.

That said, it would be reasonable to explain to your father that his actions were more than betrayal — they may also have caused significant long-term financial harm. A damaged credit report can raise borrowing costs for years. And beyond the emotional fallout, he now owes you and your uncle the $5,000 to cover the charges, plus any accrued interest.

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Protecting yourself from identity theft

Once you’ve become a victim of identity theft, it’s vital to take steps to ensure it never happens again.

Start by gathering any personal documents that your father may have used, such as your birth certificate and SIN card. These documents should be kept secure and in your possession, especially now that your father has proven he can’t be trusted.

Next, check your credit reports to ensure there are no other accounts with unauthorized transactions in your name that you didn’t approve. You can review your credit report any time through Equifax and TransUnion Canada. Even if you haven’t before been a victim of fraud, regularly monitoring your report is a smart habit. It helps spot issues and quickly act before more damage is done.

To add another layer of protection, you can place a credit freeze on your file. This blocks lenders from accessing your report, and makes it impossible for anyone — including you — to open a new credit account without permission. Credit freezes are free and available through TransUnion Canada.

Equifax, on the other hand, offers a comparable tool called “credit lock,” but it’s only available to Quebec residents. For Canadians outside Quebec, a universal step both bureaus support is placing a fraud alert on your file.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) specifically recommends contacting both bureaus to request a fraud alert. An initial alert can last from one to seven years. It’s free and can be removed any time.

Bottom line

Taking these steps to protect your credit profile can help with keeping your identity safe in the future. But in your situation, it's also worth having a conversation with your dad about the impact of his actions. If he’s simply unwilling to acknowledge the severity of his choices, consider letting him know that any repeat behaviour will lead to a call to the police.

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

Government of Canada (1); Statistics Canada (2)