Boy Who Lives Poorly & without a Phone Secretly Goes to Bank While Parents Are Away

The boy's parents often told him they were becoming poor day by day since money was very tight. He blindly trusted them and lived an impoverished life until he went to the bank secretly.

Redditor inheritenceloss was never allowed to have a phone. His parents also made sure he and his sister never accessed their bank accounts and even seized their debit cards claiming that "money was too tight." But something about his parents' sudden lavishness gave him the cues for suspicion.

During this time, the boy turned 18, and since his parents were on a cruise, he had a plan brewing in his mind. He immediately walked over to the bank to investigate.

The Original Poster (OP)'s parents persuaded him and his sister to set up joint bank accounts with their mom's name tied as the secondary account holder. The decision was immediately made when OP's grandparents' will was declared.

According to the will, OP's parents were to receive nothing more than a piece of land. Meanwhile, OP and his sister were set up with annuities paying monthly interest to both of them. Since the siblings were too young to understand money handling, they had no idea their mom could access their accounts.

As time ticked by, OP suspected something was sketchy about his parents' lavish lifestyle, considering how they constantly claimed to being poor. Something about their sudden riches didn't add up to OP.

While the parents lived in luxury, they made sure their children got nothing more than $50 Walmart gift cards each year. They never allowed OP and his sister to leave the house ever since the accounts were set up.

When OP turned 18, he reached out to the bank and lied about the debit cards being robbed. The cards were instantly deactivated.

It didn't surprise OP when his parents gave them the liberty only to pay the taxes on the interest. But nothing more was allowed. This continued until the parents seized their children's debit cards, claiming they'd have to "manage themselves" since money was too tight.

However, it wasn't the first time they had done something like this. Some time ago, OP's mom locked away his checks and debit card in a safe in her room. She outright told him he couldn't be trusted with money.

Day by day, OP couldn't help but suspect something was sketchy about his parents becoming overly protective of the money that didn't belong to them in the first place.

When OP turned 18, he reached out to the bank and lied about the debit cards being robbed. The cards were instantly deactivated. Since his parents were on a cruise at the time, OP transferred all his money to a new account, leaving nothing but $2K in his account so that they had enough left to return home.

He bought a phone since he was never allowed to use one before. He then took a cab to the office handling his inheritance and set up a deposit for a new bank account.

OP set up a new account for his sister too, but she was not allowed to access her funds without a guardian or until she turned 18. With his newfound money, OP bought a car and rented a house.

Since his sister also wanted to move in with him, OP turned to random strangers on Reddit's "Legal Advice" forum for guidance. He asked if it would be "kidnapping" to take her sister under his wing considering she was only 17. "Also, is what they did illegal?" he asked about his parents using the money from the inheritance from which they were legally cut off.

Redditor legaleasetosser, in his top-voted comment, advised OP to seek legal assistance on the matter. "As far as if what they did was illegal? I don't know, but a lawyer will. And you need one," the person advised, adding:

"Also, quick personal advice: GET A FINANCIAL ADVISER!!!!! You just came into a lot of money with not a lot of experience in governing it. Seek out some help, so you manage it wisely."

"Adding onto this, take photos throughout the house, so you have evidence of all the stuff they bought with your money," asserted user flickering_truth.

OP also inquired if his parents would forbid his sister from moving in with him. People on Reddit agreed on the possibility and told him he could not stop his parents from wanting her under their custody until she turned 18.

As for the inheritance, OP was aware that his parents weren't allowed to access the funds. However, how he sorted his issue is uncertain as OP has kept readers in the dark. Meanwhile, it's still guesswork if he had confronted his parents about accessing the money without his knowledge.

Several Reddit users advised OP to hire a lawyer and a separate one for his sister since she was still a minor. Hopefully, with proof, she could file for emancipation on the grounds of financial child abuse.

One Reddit user listed what OP should do to gather proof and act immediately, including obtaining copies of important documents for him and his sister and taking photos of his parents' lavish lifestyle. Another person said:

"Call CPS for your sister's sake and give them a statement before your parents return. Get dates for when the restrictions came. Get photos of the safe and everything in the house, like jewelry and other expensive items."

Meanwhile, another person said, "It's probably not worth fighting over the legality of past money stolen. Better that you look forward."

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think it's appropriate to persuade your children to open a joint account with you and access their money without their consent?

OP's parents convinced him and his sister to have their mom's name set up as a joint account holder in their bank accounts. However, the siblings didn't realize she could access their money and withdraw their funds, keeping them in the dark. Would you do something similar to your children, and how would you react if they confronted you after finding out?

Would you cut off your parents from your life after finding out they've stolen your inheritance?

When OP turned 18, he decided to cut his parents off after discovering they'd been stealing his inheritance for three years since his grandparents' death. Should your parents do something similar, would you consider cutting them off too, or would you give them a chance to reimburse the swindled wealth and forgive them?

If you liked this story, here's one about a wealthy man who modified his will to ensure none of his family members inherited his $20M fortune.

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