<prompt> Human: My parents illegally opened and used 1,700 in credit cards without my consent, knowledge or signature. I dont want to implicate them, but do you you guys think a credit card company would be understanding if I explain the situation and that I want to pay this down?  <response>: If you dont file a report and they do this again in the future then what? Take a moment to think how that will appear to the police or CC company, you will be screwed. You could loose all opportunity to contest stuff like this in the future and likely ruin your credit for a long time.The only 2 options that are safe for you is your parents paying back the full amount immediately and closing the accounts, or you going to the police. 