Friend gave me a bad idea...

[Uzo]

...I wont actually try this out, but want to know if it could actually be that 'fool proof'


I'm a Cdn citizen living in the UK on a visa. I have a green card for the USA.


If I bought lots of things (lets say, cellphones) on contract/credit and just left the country (UK) and moved to the US, would anyone be able to track me down?

Does the bad credit that I have got in the UK hinder any credit I try to get in the USA or Canada?

Can anyone come after me? Can I aquire a criminal record for what I did? Could I say 'I didnt know'??

What happens if I come back to the UK as a tourist?




I wont actually do this, just want to know how this scenerio could actually play out.

 

[shinyam]

Believe it or not, you can do that and get away with it. I owed about US $50,000 on my credit cards in the US before moving to Canada. When I applied for a credit card here, the reason they refused to extend me credit was because of lack of credit references, not because of my debt in the US. I'm pretty sure the only identifier they use is the SSN or SIN, not names, so if you have a US SSN# and a Canadian SIN, they cannot connect the two, and will think of you as two different people.

You cannot acquire a criminal record for what you did if you be careful about the way you go about it. If it looks like you intended to skip town by charging up a huge amount at one time, then you can probably be charged with fraud. If, however, you make it look as you simply got in debt by careless spending, there's nothing they can do about it, since it's unsecured credit.

It's extremely rare for a credit card company to sue you for their money, as the legal representation alone would be equal to or greater than the debt.

If you don't ever plan to live in the UK again, then you can max out your credit cards. However, keep in mind that you are burning your bridges, and if you ever do return, your bad credit will limit you.

 

[xarir]

If you are found out then I would think that in theory, you could be extradited from US back to UK to face charges / jail. The trick of course would be not to get caught. If you buy something like a cell phone there's a fair chance that someone could track you down if said person is determined enough to try and find you. On the other hand if you buy stuff like speakers, computer LCD monitors, furniture etc then chances are you wouldn't get caught.

Not that I recommend you try this of course.

 

[oldjones]

The answer to all your questions is yes. Thieves do get caught, though some are more nimble than the laws. They just make a shittier world for everyone.

 

[tboy]

Shinyam, wtf are you talking about that credit card companies don't sue for retrieval of the monies you owe? Are you off your rocker? this happens probably 400 million times every day. Often what happens is they settle out of court for a reduced amount but they sure do go after you.

Case in point: I owed CTC $500.00. They wanted payment in full. I said I could only pay $50.00 a month for 12 months which would give them the balance plus interest. They took me to small claims court.

Uzo:

With the increase in information sharing between countries, especially between the US and Canada, if you get a ticket in the US it affects your record here and will affect your insurance rates.

If one were to rack up a tremendous credit card debt in the US I would say the credit card company would come after you here. If they don't the least they would do is have you charged in absenteum (sp?) and if you crossed the border into the US you would be flagged and either arrested, or prevented from crossing.

Something you have to realize: In Canada, we dont' really go after people who bounce cheques. Typically the bank will charge you $25.00 (+/-) and that will be it. In the US this is a major crime and you can, and people often are, arrested for this.

In addition, you also have to realize that many countries are instigating an international crimes division and depending on the value of the goods you're thinking of, if they are sufficient, I'd say the odds are they would come after you.

 

[because]

While we're on the topic, and you care about your credit: if you've left your country of credit and go to another country where you have no credit, as I did when I moved from USA to Canada, don't forget to keep and use a few credit cards from your home country and keep a bank account there, preferrably all with online access. If you don't have CC's and a bank account in your home country, after a few years you may return to your home country to find you have no credit there either. It is a true case where if you don't use it, you quickly lose it.

Didn't happen to me thankfully, but my Canadian banker told me this happens to a lot of people after we'd had some initial arguments because I was declined for unsecured credit cards.