What should I do if my mother opened up utility accounts in my name and ruined my credit?

Just a question concerning section 8. I know there is a yearly enrollment period coming up in the Summer. Like Medicaid, is there not a yearly re-application that has to be done? If so, then Shiloh can refuse to resign as a co-renter under HUD ? Also, refuse to sign the new lease as a co-renter? She is not living there. If she didn't sign the renewals last year, who did? If Mom forged her name then its fraud. If she did sign renewals, stop. This is fraud on Shilohs part. HUD is based on how many people are living in the house/apt and how many rooms are needed.

Ex: a woman may need a two bedroom apt because she has a child. When that child leaves for good, she has to make HUD aware of the change because she is now only allowed a 1 bedroom apt.

You foolishly put your name on something. A fraud case will be very difficult now. I would see a lawyer. Your credit is ruined and you will have to rebuild it over time. I am so sorry. Untangle yourself NOW from everything to do with your mother. If this forces you into bankruptcy then it does, and you start over. People do survive that, especially in these times when it is more and more common.
You might consider an hour of time with a lawyer you see if there is any other recourse, but when we sign our names to things it is usually well and certainly DONE, and the results can be dire indeed. The thing that concerns me is what Stacey says below. She is pretty smart on these things, and if there was some nonsense being done re section 8 you could be in legal trouble. I will revise my "you might consider a lawyer" to "see one now".

I sure wish you the best and I sure am sorry for what has happened to you.

How old is your mother? Is she collecting disability? And what is she spending money on?

Please consult an attorney!

So, your name is still on the Section 8, correct? You work and live with your boyfriend correct? Does mom claim your income in respect to the Section 8 voucher? If you are on the lease, she should the voucher is based on income levels.

The debt would be an easy fix, your problem is the Section 8 voucher and possible cover up of income. You need to speak with a lawyer on this one.

When reading Frebrowsers reply I thought of something.
I am assuming here that you are still living home? If so, with this 4k debt to the utility company, you may not be able to get the utilities set up elsewhere under ur name until that debt is paid. I was on a committee at Church that dealt with helping residents in the community with utility bills and rent. We came across this problem. They couldn't move elsewhere until that debt was paid. I am really surprised your Moms service was not cut off during the warmer months. They can't shut utilities off in the winter especially if there are children. The bill has probably gotten this high because Mom put down the kids and she was section 8. We had a man move from out of town that owed $1800 in electric. He allowed our chairman to call the electric company to confirm what was owed (we paid directly to the utility/landlord money was owed to). She found out his debt was from another town he had lived in. She asked how was he able to get electric hookup if he owed. She was told because of his circumstances. He was elderly, on SS and on HUD.

Start by stopping the borrowing. Cancel the service. Give section 8 notice. Check your credit report for other accounts. Repeat as needed.

Practically speaking, there just aren't that many ways of getting rid of debt.

Pay it off.

Settle. I don't know if it works with utilities, but some debts are sold to debt collectors for pennies on the dollar. They, in turn may settle for lower amounts, especially if paid in full. If pursuing this strategy, you'd make save up something like half of the money owed, offer it to the collection agency, and make sure you get a paid in full confirmation before sending them a cashier's check.

Prove fraud. Criminal conviction is great proof, but it doesn't sound like a crime was committed here and most people wouldn't want to risk putting their mother in jail.

Wait out the statute of limitations. If you don't pay anything on a debt for an extended period (varies by state but probably somewhere between 4 and 7 years) after it become delinquent, the creditor can no longer pursue their claim. This may be complicated if you mother occasionally paid to keep utilities connected and restarted the clock, but if you disconnect, she it sounds like she is unlikely to pay.

Bankruptcy. This is a pricey way to restructure debt and keep assets securing some of the debt (car, house, business property, etc.) and seems unlikely to be useful for you.

Consult appropriate legal advice to make sure you are doing it right. You can start with resources at your local library.

First of all, your mother needs to grow the hell up and start being an adult. She's pretty much getting her rent for free or next to from Section 8, so pay the light bill.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that she's also on disability and collecting for your younger siblings off of it. This would be why they haven't shut off the electricity. The good news for her is that they won't shut the power off if she makes a token payment of some kind. The bad news for you is that if you move out and want to get electricity hooked up in your name somewhere else, you won't be able to until the full balance is paid off. Also, she isn't doing her JOB that the government pays her to do which is take care of her kids. Her kids are the reason why she gets Section 8 and everything else attached to it. So her kids are actually her employers. They are the reason she has a home to live in, food to eat, and cash in her pocket. Her job performance is pretty poor, so she needs to get fired.
Take your documents and file a court claim. You won't get a cent from your mother, but you can force her to grow up and take some responsibility for herself and her kids. She's an adult. People like this know all the loopholes and how to work the system and skate through life because someone else always takes responsibility for them.
Get that bill and any other OUT OF YOUR NAME NOW!
Then let them shut the electricity off. You will likely be held responsible for the balance, but they may let you make payments. Take your mother to court though. Force her to grow up.

I agree to figure out what the notarized doc is. I'd guess it's something that the utility company has on file. Why would your mom need it if it's purpose was to hold her feet to the fire for payments? Cuz it hasn't worked since she owes $4K.

Call the utility company to get a feeling for their willingness to be flexible in this situation. Then call an attorney to see if they'd give you a free consult or represent you pro bono (for free) as a hardship case. Even though you were of legal age, you were also naive about a lot of things, like most 18-year olds. You *may* be able to work this angle. I wish you the best possible outcome, and peace in your heart as you persevere to set things right.

You'd better call the company to whom you owe money, accept the debt as your own, agree a payment plan, and close the account. It will affect you for years, until you're able to pay it off, but once you do that will be the certain end of it.

It's just possible that the piece of paper she gave you to have notarized has some kind of legal weight, but seriously - what are the chances? Even if it does establish that your mother is responsible for payments the payments have not been made and this is your account for which you are liable; besides I doubt if the contract with the utility company allows for any such guarantor's arrangement. You need to get that account closed down.

Have a look online and see if there are any debt counselling charities in your area. They can be very helpful, but be VERY selective - do not get conned by bottom-feeder low-life scum debt consolidators preying on desperate and vulnerable people. You want advice, not loans or paid services.

You agreed to open the accounts, but she opened them?

Did you get a copy of the notarized statement that you signed? You signing that she is responsible is worthless, so I suspect that it really gave your authority to open the accounts. If she signed saying that she was responsible, that would be a paper that you'd really want to have.

The companies won't just take you off of the accounts, but they should let you disconnect service.

Your Mom was smart. Being 18 means you can enter into a contract. I would do what notgoodenough suggests. When you get the info I would then tell the utility company to remove your info by a certain date. Lets say March 31. Then you notify Mom that she will need to put the utility bills in her name by that Date or she won't have her utulities. There is help she can get if she can't afford them especially if minors are involved. I would get myself off of the section 8 too. I bet Mom has not paid her share. If not, she could be eventually evicted.

Years ago there used to be an option for someone to disclaim liability for anyone's debts except their own.   A statement was posted in a local newspaper (typically The Legal News for the area, stating that the individual "would not be responsible for any obligations other than his/her own.)

I don't know if this is still a practice.   And I don't believe it would be retroactive though.   

This is really a delicate, but unfortunate situation.  Your mother possibly committed fraud when she convinced you to sign a Section 8 lease, making false representations.    But the issue might be in proving that she specifically intended to defraud you (see below).  

Do some reading here, and acquaint yourself with the legal standards for fraud accusations and prosecutions:

What is Fraud? - FindLaw
https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/fraud.html

Fraud vs. Lying:  the difference
https://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/2013/01/fraud-vs-lying-whats-the-legal-difference.html

The second article, by a well known online legal source, addresses the difference in "intent" when fraud is charged.

This is a list of Consumer Protection attorneys in Rhode Island.  You might want to start reviewing their websites to decide on one (or more) to interview.

https://lawyers.findlaw.com/lawyer/practicestate/consumer-protection/rhode-island

Consumer Protection is the practice area in which to locate fraud attorneys.

"She promised to pay any fees, and had me go down to get a paper notarized agreeing she was responsible for any of the bills."

This intrigues me; more information is needed.   Where did you "go down to", what "paper" was notarized?    Did your mother sign it?  If not, she committed to nothing, as you can't commit to her obligations.   This "paper" even might not be valid.

I feel so badly for you, to be treated in such a despicable manner by a parent.  I haven't addressed your last questions b/c answers to some raised in this post  would affect your chances for recovery.

I suspect you will have to pay the bill - and then go after your mom to reimburse you - probably in small claims court.

How much a court will order her to reimburse you depends a lot on what that notarized "paper" says. Is it a promissory note? Is there a set amount she agrees to repay, or is it vague and somewhat open ended? Do you have any other documentation, such as e-mails or text messages, showing she agreed to pay for this? If so, make sure you save anything in which she acknowledges she is responsible to pay you back.

I think there are a few things you need to do kinda right away:

1) Get your name off that account ASAP. This should be your first call.

2) Talk to the utility company and explain the situation. I don't imagine they will out and out forgive the loan, but you might be able to work out a doable payment plan with them.

3) Tell them you want copies of all of the bills, so if you decide to pursue your mom in court, you have documentation that these bills are for your mom's home, not yours. If your name is on the account, there is no reason they should have to refuse to give them to you. You don't have to depend on your mom to get them. I would also check those bills very carefully, and make sure that the only thing on them is the cost of the gas to only the 1 apartment.

Have you co-signed anything else with mom? If so, I would check on those accounts as well; if you have, and she is current on those accounts, get your name off of those as well!

I understand that you were doing this for the good of your younger siblings, and I think it is awful that you are being put into this position by your mom. I hope you can come to some sort of favorable resolution to this!

You need a fraud attorney. Most of them will have a free consultation with you, so they can aim you in the right direction.

A high school friend's dad did the same thing to him when he was underage. It destroyed his credit before he even had credit. Fortunately, his girlfriend's dad was an attorney and took care of everything for him. Perhaps you'll find someone who can help you, too.

I was thinking "there should be a way to handle this w/o bankrupting you..." until I read the "notarized statement"...that can go either way. Basically you signed a document saying if mom couldn't/wouldn't pay her bills you'd step in and be responsible.

Those exist for a reason: so people can't wiggle our of debts and show responsibility for their choices. Also to prove you are who you are, but that's a whole other thing.

HOW IN THE WORLD did the gas bill get to $4k in 2 years? I'm not judging you, I'm just very curious. I haven't spent $4k on gas services in almost 10 years.

You DO need a lawyer to get you on the right track. I do not know if this can be fixed quickly or if you are going to be on the hook for a while.

Is mom's name also on the bill? If so, that will help. If it's just you, then just you are responsible.

This will probably have to be dealt with in a court setting, or perhaps just in front of a judge, IDK. I wish you luck--that's a big ol' debt for a young person.