Harry Gross: Son who 'owes everybody' is a problem for his parents
Dear Harry: We have a son who has separated himself from his family over money issues. Our son and his wife own nothing and owe everybody. We have finally refused to give him or advance him money. As punishment to us, they have refused to allow us to see our granddaughters. The latest slap to us was their refusal to make payments on a Sallie Mae loan on which I was the co-signer. We paid it in full immediately. They do get along with his wife's mother, who is also deeply in hock. In the last few weeks, we have gotten several calls from a collection agency seeking her address or phone number. We have never had much contact with her and do not know much about her, and we told the collector this. This past week, we got several calls from collection agencies regarding someone who is using our address and phone number as a point of contact. We don't know who this is, but we can guess. We want his latest intrusion stopped before it could affect our credit standing. How do we go about this?
What Harry says: The next time you get such a call, get as much information as you can from the collection agency, even if only a contact number for the agency. Then contact your local District Attorney's Office and ask for help. It's hard to tell exactly what is going on here, but it could easily be some criminal offense. Don't be surprised if you find that your son is trying to steal your identity.
Write Harry Gross c/o the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. Harry urges all his readers to give blood: Contact the American Red Cross at 800-GIVE LIFE.
