Maxing out credit cards and leaving country?

[Anonymous]

My younger brother is not exactly in the best mental state right now, and he mentioned that he wanted to get all the loans he could, max out his credit cards and just leave the country forever. Although I don't believe he would actually do this, does anyone know if there would be any criminal implications for doing this? What else can I say to him to scare him enough to put this idea out of his head? Thank you.

[MidnightVoice]

A) - Ask TNWM, he is constantly threatening to do that

B) - tell him he will eventually get deported back to the states and there will be an arrest warrant waiting for him at the airport 

[Anonymous]

I am very new to this board, but I live in KY and my DH is a police officer. Here in the area I live in (right outside of Louisville by Ft. Knox) the govt. is REALLY keen on charging people with "theft by deception" and a lot of the local companies- including the very good credit union (which I have never had a prob. w/) but they are extremely sue happy.

Anyway, what I might say to him, is that if he took out local loans, and for example, had a CC from a local bank or credit union, then maxed them out and left the country- they would slap him w/ lawsuits and or TBD (theft by deception).

I have absoulutely no idea about a national credit card. But it is my understanding that most CC have a primary state that they fall under jurisdiction.

So anyway, bottom line- he COULD end up w/ open charges, which would lead to failure to appears because he wouldn't be in the country- and then end up w/ bench warrants- which is the absolute worst- so the MOMENT he even thought about stepping back into the country they would arrest him at the airport or border- which totally sucks cause there are horror stories of people stuck in border patrol/fed. immigration prisons for far less.

IMHO- I have ties to the health care industry and he either sounds like he is extremely depressed and hiding it through anger or manic/ or both- which to me sounds like he needs to see a Dr. immediatly.

I hope this does not offend you- but him saying things like what you posted should be taken very seriously, oh- one more thing- again, because I have worked in the psych field- is there a possibility he migh be on drugs?  You do NOT  have to feel like you have to post back what you really think if it embarasses you.

Bottom line again- threats like these should be taken very seriously- especially with males- it is proven in males that because in our social network males are supposed to be providers that they take money problems extremely hard...

OK that is my 2 cents and sorry to get off topic but I just really think you might need  to drag him to a Dr.  (If he is having mood probs. or needs to detox- either one- in 30 days if this really is the prob. he will be a totally new person- ready to face his problems. )

Back to Fico talk. Sorry to get so off topic.

[Anonymous]

On those same lines you could have him held for several weeks of medical evaluations

too try an intervention of negligent behavior.

[MidnightVoice]

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Tmleverage wrote:

On those same lines you could have him held for several weeks of medical evaluations

too try an intervention of negligent behavior.

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It might vary by state, but that is very difficult if the person does not present a real danger to himelf or to others.

[Anonymous]

In most states a Mental Inquest Warrant cause the person to be held for 48 to 72 hours. After that, if they do not pose a danger to themselves or others they have to let them go.

The good thing however, is that potentially if he is on drugs they will find out thru bloodwork, and if he is manic or extremely depressed they have a very very good chance of finding out through the mental status exams that they do. So- if there is a drug problem (which by the way is rampant in the US- but people get embarrassed so we/families don't want to talk about it/ also includes alcohol abuse) they will pressure him to go to at a minimum of 30 day detox- and if he is depressed/manic they will pressure him to go to therapy too and try to see if there is a need for short term or long term antidepressants.

Bottom line-if the family or brother were to do a MIW he may get the help he needs.

[Anonymous]

PS- be aware that if you take this type of action he will be VERY ANGRY at you- but if there is a serious problem he will thank you for it in the end. It may be months and months later-but even if he is very depressed and needs meds. once they kick in and he comes out of his funk you will see a different person altogether- and most people- the first thing that kicks in is HOPE- and they become a lot more happy and make much better decisions.

If he is just talking off the cuff then no harm no foul- but in my experience in the health field when people get to the point of making these kinds of statements they tend to mean it. It just depends on whether the person (and males have a higher rate of success) has the guts to really do it.

This is the last time I will post about this because this really is a FICO forum, but I have found in my experience that if a person is truly depressed/manic/or drugging then you REALLY will see a DRAMATIC difference within 30 to 40 days. Sometimes in the first couple of weeks there is a worsening if the person is having to face a lot of harsh realities for the first time in years there will be a drag down- but a huge increase in better decisions and mood thereafter.

Now- and I have seen this too- but really rarely- If there never was a chemical imbalance/ subs. abuse problem then you will not see a difference.

[Anonymous]

Wow! I'm getting a lot more information than I thought I would! He's always had a few odd social behaviors, and I don't know if he really meant what he said, but it sounds like I should be able to scare him with the "theft by deception" idea even if there might not actually be some serious consequences other than a destroyed credit report. Thank you all so much!

[Anonymous]

It depends where you live. Like I said- around here, they are very quick to slap someone w/ TBD and a lawsuit. I hate to say this- but one of the ways our county gets money- is for every unpaid bill that someone takes to the county attorney- they slap a minimum of 40-80 in fees on it- and then whatever they collect goes into an escrow account. Oh- and the moment they charge you w/ TBD you get an automatic warrant to appear- and if you don't then you get a bench warrant- which virtually no one gets out the first day on. (ROR I mean).They even bragged one time that the TBD accounts helped pay for the new county jail.

It is also a running joke- and it isn't really a joke- that bounced checks are nothing to play with- and the local Credit union and Countrywide office will sue you on first missed mortgage payment. (Credit Union is always repo-ing cars too). And the TBD - and what constitutes one- is forever evolving. It used to be just checks about 15 years ago, but now it is just about ANY unpaid collection that they want to turn into the County Attny. I think about the only thing that doesn't get turned in is medical.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

In most states a Mental Inquest Warrant cause the person to be held for 48 to 72 hours. After that, if they do not pose a danger to themselves or others they have to let them go.

The good thing however, is that potentially if he is on drugs they will find out thru bloodwork, and if he is manic or extremely depressed they have a very very good chance of finding out through the mental status exams that they do. So- if there is a drug problem (which by the way is rampant in the US- but people get embarrassed so we/families don't want to talk about it/ also includes alcohol abuse) they will pressure him to go to at a minimum of 30 day detox- and if he is depressed/manic they will pressure him to go to therapy too and try to see if there is a need for short term or long term antidepressants.

Bottom line-if the family or brother were to do a MIW he may get the help he needs.

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I think that's going a bit far.

Wanting to max out his credit cards and leave the country forever doesn't make him crazy. America is still a decent country, but it ain't all that. Just because someone wants to leave--even by less-than-ethical means--doesn't make them insane or a danger to themselves or anyone else.

I would say in the absence of clear signs of drug abuse or serious depression, people should be left to make their own decisions. And someone acting "odd" certainly doesn't warrant medicating them and throwing them into a straitjacket.