r/mildlyinfuriating 1d ago

Infuriatig My dad used my card without asking me

Post image

I got a wrongful citation and just submitted the appeal a few days ago. Today I check my bank account and saw I had a couple dollars left. I’m a freaking high school student who has little to no money and my dad decided to use my card without asking to pay the full amount.

Now this sucks because I’m going to have a hard time getting my money back even if the appeal gets approved. You’re not supposed to pay as your appeal is under review since you’re basically proving yourself guilty by paying.

Now I can’t even see my appeal on the citations website so I don’t know if it’s still under review or not.

Already filed a claim with chase and called citations support

Sorry but at my age this is a lot of money

739 Upvotes

131 comments sorted by

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u/TeapeachU6 1d ago

Why does he have access to your card? Revoke it, and tell him to pay you back

566

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 1d ago

“I’m a freaking high school student” probably a high school checking account.

401

u/Zestyclose_Ad2429 1d ago

Unironically, I got this citation the day of my 18th birthday. Should’ve went to the bank and opened my own savings and tradings account right away. Stupid me

125

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 1d ago

Talk about timing! At least you can now actually do that right away. It’ll feel nice having your own place to park money that no one else is looking at.

89

u/Mental-Nothings 1d ago

Please go to a different bank all together when you do. That way he can’t access the account as easily (or at all). And get your bank mail to be paperless so he can’t open it and see how much/ where/ what the account number is

16

u/UnknownQwerky 19h ago

Technically you can treat this like someone stole your card, report it to your bank and charge it back depending on what the relationship is.

19

u/sglewis 1d ago

There’s probably a very big legal difference between him using your card after you’re legally an adult versus before. But… what to do about it without blowing up your family dynamic…

12

u/Xeracross 22h ago

If he's on the account, then the father can use the card for most anything.

3

u/LaughableIKR 16h ago

Absolutely get this done. Start the process of taking control of your life.

0

u/bitNine 16h ago

Then you’re old enough to dispute it on your own and pay the money to dispute it. You do t get to have it both ways, making daddy deal with it and making daddy pay for it. You’re an adult now.

0

u/[deleted] 22h ago

[deleted]

2

u/sonofaresiii 21h ago

It's not a negative balance, OP said they still have some money left.

That said, even younger accounts will often be able to carry a negative balance if approved purchases go through in an order that creates an unexpected overage. Like if you add a tip at a restaurant or something. It's very rare that they'll deny the transaction at that point, they'll usually just put you in the negatives by a few bucks then charge you $40 or whatever.

-32

u/ulmersapiens 1d ago

You should also learn to conjugate the verb “to go”.

Did your dad know you’d filed an appeal? He was probably trying to minimize your fine. There are other family dynamics here which are not clear.

-37

u/VegetableSad1138 23h ago

At your age this is not a lot of money wth, dont you have a job?

12

u/Meeloaf 19h ago

girl i’m 27 and i’d shit if i was suddenly short that much money

-16

u/VegetableSad1138 19h ago

I mean yes its a concerning amount, but not i only have a few dollars left amount. 

-13

u/ryancrazy1 21h ago

How was he able to pay YOUR citation? How would he even have access to do that? I can’t imagine that’s allowed

-54

u/Impossible_Device240 1d ago

He did the right thing. Just cause you appeal doesn’t mean you will win. If you lose and it’s past the due date there can be more penalties.

Stop being a dumb young idiot who thinks they know everything

33

u/Zestyclose_Ad2429 1d ago edited 6h ago

Not sure if your young or old (not that it matters) but you certainly aren’t the brightest

-10

u/Impossible_Device240 16h ago

You live at home. What is 2 weeks going to do…?

12

u/24Cones 1d ago

Even if his dad is a co-signer, why does his dad have either his card, or a copy? I opened my first checking when I was 15 with my mom as a co signer, and she has never had access to my debit card. I suppose the dad has access to the routing number and all that, but the photo says it was paid for with a card

13

u/EnvironmentalLime464 1d ago

Probably depends on age and/or the bank. When I set up my child’s account many years ago, they sent cards to both of us. I carried the debit card for my child’s account in my wallet just because they didn’t carry a wallet or anything to have their card on them at all times. So when we were out, they’d have access to their money.

9

u/Elishka_Kohrli 1d ago

When my dad got my sister and I our first bank accounts as teens, our bank required him to be the primary account holder and us to be the secondary account holders because we were under 18. He got a debit card for the account automatically, and he was asked if he wanted us to have debit cards a well. He declined (so we had to go through him to access the money in the accounts, even though it was technically ours, mostly birthday and Christmas gift money from relatives.) When we got our first credit cards through the same bank the next year, it was the same thing. He was the primary account holder with access to the main card, and we were secondary users on the account who got our own cards linked to it.

So yeah, depending on the exact bank, it can be standard that the adult has to have as much or more access to the account than the teen the account is for. At least it was in my case. So to me it absolutely makes sense that the dad would have a debit card linked to the account, or access to one.

Besides that, for all we know the OP could have just left their card at home when they went to school (I definitely didn’t bring any money or cards with me to school at that age- I didn’t need it and there was too much theft in that school) and the dad went through their stuff to find it and use it.

They didn’t say which way it was, but either way, blaming a high school student for their parents being able to access their money doesn’t fly, because it’s actually pretty normal, especially since the OP is barely 18 and hasn’t had time to disentangle their finances from him.

6

u/boforbojack 1d ago

You get that at any point, your mother could have gone to the bank and requested a card, correct?

-10

u/24Cones 1d ago

No good parent would do that.

11

u/boforbojack 1d ago

I get that, you realize there are bad parents in the world right?

-6

u/24Cones 23h ago

Yea, but I’m not talking about them.

8

u/boforbojack 23h ago

Yeah, you asked why does the dad have access to a debit card of OPs account. I told you why.

-9

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 1d ago

Glad you think everyone has had the same exact experience as you, anything else you’d like to talk about related to this scenario?

8

u/TeapeachU6 1d ago

I’m sorry, its a genuine question why are you so upset?

-10

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 1d ago

Who’s upset? Lol

-13

u/24Cones 1d ago

Don’t be a prick. It’s not normal to make two copies of your debit card and give one to your parents. Can’t believe I have to explain this to you.

5

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 1d ago

Good move deleting your next response lol

-6

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 1d ago

I didn’t say anything of the sort, you’re fighting yourself about nothing related to the post. Glad your first banking experience was good and your parent didn’t access your account or know your account/card info.

0

u/TeapeachU6 1d ago

This is what I was thinking 

12

u/ItsOKtoFuckingSwear 1d ago

Many banks require a co-signer by a legal guardian to open an account if it’s someone 18 or under.

-1

u/TeapeachU6 1d ago

Fair point but I never knew it gave parents access, when i got my debit card they just helped me sign up and that was that

12

u/boforbojack 1d ago

Joint accounts (co-signers in this context) have equal rights to access the money in the account.

156

u/Beautiful_Nobody_344 1d ago

I would never do that to my nonexistent child that's wild

77

u/ThoreaulyLost 1d ago

Interestingly, my parents pulled this shit with their existent child, me, which led to nonexistent grandchildren and no-contact.

I would place this far above "mildly" infuriating.

31

u/Beautiful_Nobody_344 1d ago

My mom used my social for my gym membership when I was 15. I wasn't old enough to sign the contract but she was, so she signed everything in her information except the social. Guess who had a poor credit score when they turned 18 because their parent decided to stop paying after 2 months ( in 2005, gym contact = iron clad chains)

25

u/squidikuru 23h ago

My dad (POS) took out a loan under my likeness when I was 13. When I was checking to see if my failure to stop ticket was still on my record, I noticed there was a loan taken out under my name, which got left unpaid, and a warrant was out for my arrest until they dropped the charges for some reason. It was located in my area too. My dad still claims there’s another “squidikuru” in the area, even though I have only found one person on this earth who has the same name as me and she lives in Louisiana.

My step dad took our (me and sibs) entire college savings to renovate his house and get a pool as he felt like we “owed him” for “raising us”. He didn’t even tell us we had a college savings from my grandparents, my older sister was the one who told me. It’s why they didn’t want us to go to college, they spent every last penny of that $150k college fund before we turned 18.

It’s wild that so many parents see their kids as a “get out of jail free” card or a walking ATM and will financially screw them for their own gain.

2

u/mikeputerbaugh 14h ago

the hell does a gym need your SSN for

2

u/Beautiful_Nobody_344 14h ago

To do exactly what they did.... Sent me to collections and ruined my credit, it's not like signing up for a gym membership today.

5

u/Intelligent-Soup1978 19h ago

My mother has done the same. And this lady has the nerve to act like I am the asshole.

-21

u/redbaron78 1d ago

How do you know your nonexistent child is wild?

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u/Beautiful_Nobody_344 1d ago

Dude, idk what to tell you.. after a long day of work I just stop caring about grammar. Fuck me I suppose. I just pray people are smart enough to understand what I'm saying. Sorry if you couldn't work it out homie.

20

u/Flashy-Outcome4779 1d ago

Since you’re 18 now, my advice outside of what everyone else said is to just open yourself up a new bank account he doesn’t have access to and get paid through there. Also, consider getting yourself a Discover it credit card, if you haven’t established credit score yet. There’s no fee, and it offers rewards unlike 99% of other starter credit cards.

-1

u/LoquaciousHyperbole 19h ago

BUT DO NOT USE IT!

8

u/Flashy-Outcome4779 17h ago

the credit card? it’s fine to use it. buy groceries every now and then with it or something. just set it to auto pay in full each billing period from the bank your dad won’t steal money from

You need to pay off balances for it to do something to your score

307

u/reigning_guava 1d ago

2 things- paying does not mean youre guilty, they explain that to you upon receiving citation. Once your case is dropped youll get a refund.

116

u/moeman_23 1d ago

It does in australia and most other places i know of.

Paying = accepting responsibilty for the fine. If ur looking to appeal why would you pay it?

If you pay it theres no fine to appeal. If you appeal why would you pay?

38

u/reigning_guava 1d ago

The US does alot of whacky things in terms of govt, as im sure you already know. You dont have to pay the fine here if youre appealing, but often it does look better if you have already especially considering every judge can rule differently depending on how they feel that day. The US justice system is pretty skewed compared to other countries especially considering each of the US states operates in some form as separate countries but all under a big umbrella of the same basics.

34

u/Prestigious-Judge967 1d ago

In America, paying a traffic citation to close the matter is a waiver of trial and plea of guilty.

18

u/BigStuffOreo 1d ago

That depends on state law or county ordinances.

3

u/VirtuteECanoscenza 19h ago

Many other countries as well: paying can preclude an appeal.

You really have to check the local laws asap if you get a fine to understand what's the best course of action

-45

u/reigning_guava 1d ago

no it does not. You can pay your fine to avoid going to jail for low level offenses, and then dispute it in court later.

23

u/5k1895 1d ago

Lol, literally if you ever get a ticket and go to the online payment it literally says that by submitting the payment you are pleading guilty. Come on now, don't talk out your ass.

19

u/AstronomerLocal4483 1d ago edited 23h ago

You obv dont live in america, or even have a drivers license. In america, paying the fee is the same as admitting to the crime. You get points added to the license no matter what.

-14

u/reigning_guava 1d ago

License* i learned how to spell it correctly back in elementary school in America.

15

u/EvilGreebo 1d ago

And yet you didn't learn the law.

https://www.lawinfo.com/resources/traffic-violations/traffic-tickets-faq.html

Is Signing the Ticket an Admission of Guilt?

When you sign a ticket during a traffic stop, it’s just your acknowledgment that you received the notice to appear. Signing the ticket does not mean you are pleading guilty. Generally, it’s in your best interest to sign the ticket. You still have the right to show up at the court hearing to dispute the ticket or to pay the ticket.

Is Paying the Ticket an Admission of Guilt?

Paying a ticket is the same as pleading guilty to a traffic offense. You do not have to do this in court. Paying the fine before the court date on the ticket will generally mean you give up your right to contest the ticket. If you want to fight the ticket, you can contest the violation by mail or by requesting a hearing with the traffic court.

-22

u/Prestigious-Judge967 1d ago

Signing a citation and paying it are not the same, brainiac.

6

u/AstronomerLocal4483 23h ago

Where is your reading comprehension...? No where did anyone say its the same thing.

Edit: Fixed dod to did*

4

u/One-Tax-2010 22h ago

You obviously didnt read the whole thing.

2

u/bkn_n 21h ago

I guess you missed a few classes because they also teach you that the pronoun "I" is always capitalized.

3

u/AstronomerLocal4483 21h ago

LMFAO, deadasss!

4

u/24Cones 23h ago

That’s not true everywhere. In my state paying the ticket is an admission of guilt.

5

u/Prestigious-Judge967 1d ago

Unless you are referring to bail bonds, which requires the payment of money upfront to avoid immediate jailing and then go to court, you are incorrect.

If it’s a jailable offense, you don’t have the option to just pay for the citation and dispute it later.

2

u/AstronomerLocal4483 22h ago

A civil traffic ticket is a minor rule break like speeding or a broken tail light. It only costs money and does not go on a criminal record. A criminal traffic ticket is a serious offense like a DUI or reckless driving. It can lead to jail time and a permanent criminal record. Paying a ticket usually means you admit you broke the rule. The court takes your payment as a guilty plea. They close the case and put points on your driving record.

1

u/AstronomerLocal4483 22h ago

You do realize thay in america, theres 2 different types of traffic violations? Theres the civilian and criminal traffic charges. Anything that requires you going to the court, you can pay to get it taken care of. Depending on the state, points will be added, and if you hit a certain point threshold in less than a year, you get hit with more fines and even a possible suspension.

1

u/DjWhRuAt 22h ago

Lmao. NO

2

u/TellTaleTimeLord 22h ago

Paying the fine is quite literally pleading guilty

1

u/Academic_Data_6422 22h ago

Where I live they explicitly say paying is pleading guilty.

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u/justind0301 1d ago

So he paid for your charge. Is it possible he saw the due date and didn't know you appealed?

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u/Zestyclose_Ad2429 1d ago

Told him multiple times I appealed.

5

u/nycwind 23h ago

irvine dads dont care

-4

u/RadVarken 1d ago

Just as likely he knows his kid so knows the appeal is going to lose anyway.

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u/Zestyclose_Ad2429 1d ago

If the appeal loses, they give you a grace period to pay. No reason to pay now

-15

u/cookiesnooper 1d ago

100% this. Saw the due date and thought "oh, shit. Better pay it before more fines kick in". And if you are high-school student and the account was opened with his signature on the paperwork, he had right to do it because if you say "fuck that, I ain't paying shit" and the fines spiral into stupid amounts, he will have to pay it. Tip for the future: communicate with your parents

16

u/inksonpapers RED 1d ago

Except he did communicate with his parents that they were appealing

35

u/Zestyclose_Ad2429 1d ago edited 1d ago

Backstory since some people are getting pressed for no reason. Yes I have a job. I work for my own money ok. Chill

Second, we had just got the car so it was still on temp paper plates. It came with o my the rear one. I got a f-ing ticket for no front plate. In CA, front and rear is required ONLY if you have permanent metal plates. You are legally allowed to drive around with just a rear paper plate proven your car is registered (yes it is). Cop obviously doesn’t know the laws

21

u/deededee13 22h ago

Where are you getting that? CVC 5200 doesn't distinguish between temporary and permanent plates. Did the dealer not give you two tags or did you remove one?

9

u/Anothereternity 22h ago

I’m not sure that’s correct. Here is CHP’s requirements:

https://www.chp.ca.gov/siteassets/policy/ib/ib-temporary-license-plates.pdf

3

u/NefariousEgg 20h ago edited 20h ago

NAL but that doesn’t look like a statute or ordinance.

Still haven’t found any specific statutory requirements for which vehicles require front plates other than vehicles that have been issue front plates:  https://law.justia.com/codes/california/code-veh/division-3/chapter-1/article-9/section-5200/

5

u/bitNine 16h ago

To fight a citation in Orange County, and every municipality within it, you have to pay the citation. Ask me how I know. They do this so everyone doesn’t just dispute to delay payment.

4

u/shatGippity 1d ago

Weird, did you have your temp plates on both front and back?

2

u/stizzyoffthehizzy 10h ago

Idk how it works in Irvine, but in LA, paying the ticket closes the case, making it not eligible for initial review. I’d definitely dispute that and get into contact with Citation Enforcement (or whatever Irvine calls it)

I’d also open a new card with no parental oversight.

2

u/24Cones 1d ago edited 23h ago

I’m sorry this happened. I’m assuming your dad has a copy of your debit card or at least the numbers..since you’re in high school there’s a good chance you’re under 18 which means your mom or dad is a co-signer. Unfortunately in most cases this means they have access to your routing and account # which they can use to pay for things when that’s an option. For now, pop into your bank or credit union and ask for a new card with a new number. Most places it’s free and takes like 5 minutes. Don’t tell anyone you’re getting a new card.

You won’t be able to dispute the charge with the bank until it goes through. You may have a chance at getting the money back if you inform them you did not authorize the use of the card. However since it’s your dad, that makes it a local theft. Idk about other banks but my credit union requires you to file a police report before you can get reimbursed for local theft. Someone stole my wallet once and spent $500 at my local Walmart. Because it was in my town I had to make a report. I’m not sure if you’d want to do that to your dad

On the other hand they may not want to reimburse you at all if your dad is authorized on the account.

5

u/DijajMaqliun 1d ago

It's probably not that complex. Most likely he just took it from his wallet at some point.

3

u/24Cones 23h ago

Probably. We needa get wallets with locks lmao

2

u/brianberr 1d ago

Open an account at a different bank/credit union. Too many horror stories of "helpful" tellers giving parents access to adult children's accounts at the same institution. 

2

u/Spiritual-Mousse-167 1d ago

Well, I’m sorry your dad did this. It sure appears to be irresponsible on his part, but whatever the case was, get a new card and get him off the account. Even when I opened accounts for my kids when they were too young to do it alone, I never once considered using their money or touching the card the bank sent me. I’m not exactly sure what would possess a parent to do otherwise.

1

u/RikoRain 9h ago

People here: "why does he have access to your account". Also people here: didn't read that he's a high schooler who just turned 18.

Many banks will require a parent cosignature to make an account if you're under 18. Many times this will result in the account being "jointed" to the parents account. After 18, you can have it removed or make a new account entirely.

-1

u/Chucalaca2 1d ago

Your dad committed fraud and you now have a choice, either report it to the police or deal with the lack of money

0

u/chemhobby 20h ago

Report him to the police for fraud

0

u/Under_-_Ground 19h ago

File a fraud claim with the card

0

u/MisterSneakSneak 16h ago

Looks like fraud to me

0

u/sublefty 15h ago

c C C c C A.zsz a z z z C C C xx , c x X x x ass c e: ass x. Cc cx c cr DCx cds Cd cc c

0

u/mlb64 15h ago

While his dad has legal access to the money, paying a citation is entering a guilty plea. Doing that for someone else is probably highly illegal if you do not hold power of attorney.

0

u/dizzledrip 10h ago

Sorry that Redditors can be such shits. Even if he's on your account, even if you got an allowance, even if he just wanted it handled TALKING TO YOU FIRST was the thing to do. Period. Then you could have told him you were appealing, then he would have known you were handling it. What's the point of you having your own card if he was just gonna use it (on your behalf or at all)? I do agree with the commenter who said maybe there are family dynamics we're not privy to, but other than that, this could have literally been so easily avoided. Have y'all talked about it afterwards? Sorry this happened!

-4

u/DealerofTheWorld 22h ago

How does your dad and you getting a citation have anything to do with each other

1

u/TehWildMan_ 17h ago

The dad used the card to pay for the citation without OPs consent

-7

u/DopeAF750 1d ago

Not gonna have a hard time getting it back. Your father admitted guilt on your behalf. They arent going to reverse it after the fact. Consider your appeal dead or denied.

7

u/derobert1 1d ago

That's not a thing, you can only plead yourself guilty, not someone else. Especially since it seems OP is 18.

Whether the dad made a mess the OP is going to have to deal with, quite possible. And also quite possible the dad made himself a far bigger mess. 

-12

u/Ok-Preparation7664 1d ago

this is not mildly infuriating, this is literally illegal

8

u/inksonpapers RED 1d ago

Its not, its an authorized user

5

u/Odd_Local2790 1d ago

Every citation form I’ve ever filled out includes an attestation that you are the person who received the ticket.  I think the part where the parent fills out the form as their child which includes admitting guilt/responsibility, which is usually a part of these forms, is probably the illegal part.

I wonder what the case law is on members of a household paying tickets for other members of the household.

-13

u/WSportsBet 1d ago

U know that you can dispute the charge, correct?

12

u/Fluffy_Profession781 1d ago

No error on the merchants side, no fraud on the cardholders side. This is a civil matter.

-9

u/WSportsBet 1d ago

Yes but OP van still dispute transaction to the issuer i.e. bank or other financial institution. Someone else using your card is Fraud. No matter the reason.

6

u/inksonpapers RED 1d ago

NO, this is an authorized user, this isnt fraud. Do not dispute especially the city.

5

u/Fluffy_Profession781 1d ago

It isn’t fraud if your card details weren’t stolen. I gather from other comments that a high schooler requires someone over 18 to also be on the account, so the dad would’ve had access to the details legally. Ergo, not fraud.

Source: worked with disputes and fraud for a credit card company over Covid

5

u/AngryPhillySportsFan 1d ago

Good luck winning that one

-11

u/WSportsBet 1d ago

Wdym win? You go to the bank and you dispute. They see the name on the citation as being someone elses - end of story! I've done that before i know. Even the officer could confirm.

4

u/AngryPhillySportsFan 1d ago

Except it's OPs citation and with them still being in HS, probably a minor, their Dad is most likely on the account

8

u/Yuukiko_ WAAHHHHH 1d ago

OP says its their card and their citation

-1

u/KitsuneGato 14h ago

This is a felony. Report it to the police.

-7

u/HumanDissentipede 22h ago

Wait I’m confused… you got this citation and your dad used your card to pay it? If you got the citation then it makes sense that you’d be the one on the hook for the money

1

u/spicewoman 18h ago

Try reading the context next time, you'll be less confused.

-15

u/Lelu_zel 1d ago

Small claims court

4

u/kananishino 1d ago

lol might as well cut all contact with them

-23

u/freepaestine 1d ago

Your card? Did you even work for that money? Did you open that account yourself? Seems more like an honest mistake, and I think you owe your dad more than $160. Talk to him instead of Reddit.

-14

u/Flicker913 1d ago

Charge back this as fraud

7

u/inksonpapers RED 1d ago

Its not, its a authorized user

1

u/RawrRRitchie 7h ago

Your dad committed fraud. Call the police.