<prompt> Human: Im graduating college soon and have been apartment hunting in NYC. I was told the minimum credit for most renters should be around 680. Ive never had any credit cards or loads, etc so I assumed I had no credit. I only recently decided to get my credit checked when I found out that my parents had actually opened 2 credit cards under my name with a total of 25,000 in debt. These accounts have been open for years now, and while they have apparently been making the minimum payments as of late, my credit score sits around 580.I dont want my parents to face any criminal charges but I do want to fix my credit.As of right now, I have a friend willing to sign as a guarantor for my apartment as my credit score doesnt make the requirements. However, I cant rely on my friend forever and would want to get my credit to at least 680 as soon as I can.My parents dont know that Ive found this out and Im trying to think of how to bring it up and how I could get them to give me all the accounts.Questions: I heard that debt-to-income ratio is important to your credit score. As of right now, I have no job, but when I graduate this semester, I have a job ready for me. Will my credit score improve when I start that job ? Since, technically it seems my debt-to-income ratio right now would be 25,000 in debt and 0 in income.My starting salary as a computer engineer will most likely give me enough money to pay off all the debt in 1-2 years. Would it be beneficially to pay off all the debt at once?I love my parents but they dont have any self control and I could very well see them using my identity to open more things in the future. Is there any way to stop them from stealing my identity in the future without taking legal action against them ?TL;DR: parents opened credit cards in my name and gave me 25k in debt. how do i fix this without sending anyone to jail and how do i prevent it from happening again.Assistant: Your parents committed fraud. They also committed identity theft. I dont understand why you think its necessary or appropriate to protect criminals from the consequences of their crimes. Do you also owe on student loans? Human: i dont owe any student loans due to scholarships etc but my parents have provided for me all my life so i dont think i can get myself to report them or send them to jail over this  <response>: I hear your logic here, but you also have to realize this isnt in that category. This is literally a felony, not an annoying behaviour. If a friend did this how mad would you be? Thats the same mad you should be even though theyre family. Im on the team of trying to work things out calmly, so I would suggest talking to your parents, getting them to pay it now. But you do have to realize, if they cant pay you either have to pay it or report it. There is no other option. 