My ex stole money out of my account, is there anything I can do? -

My ex and I shared an account and I have been trying to get him to sign off on it for weeks and no cooperation has been made. I got paid yesterday (its directly deposited) went to pay bills and was told half my paycheck is missing. Turns out he has a set of checks (probably because he also refuses to return my things) and has been writing them left and right. Technically, isn t this stealing? The only money that is put into that account is my paycheck and since we ve split its my hard earned income. Is there anything I can do?|::::|I don t know if you can really as you both own the account. I suggest making sure your pay goes into a different account from now on though. I d get myself a lawyer if I were you. |::::|Sorry, but there is nothing you can do. His name is still on the account so he can take the money out and write checks. Go to the bank first thing Monday and withdraw all the funds. Then open an account in your name only. The bank doesn t keep track of how much money each one of you is putting into an account. As far as they are concerned it s both of your money and what happens to it is up to the two of you. They didn t break any rules or laws by allowing him to withdraw money or by paying the checks that he wrote. |::::|No. It s a joint account. You need to remove yourself from the account and also get your deposits to go to a new account. You could try to sue him in small claims, however I will tell you, judges really don t like cases where people are playing house. Because this is what happens all the time. I am sure you would lose the case because joint means just that, a bank account held by more than one person, each individual having the right to deposit and withdraw funds.|::::|Unfortunately there is not much you can do if this is a joint account with both of your names on it. If this account is onlyin your name and he is signing checks, then yes, it is illegal. I would close this account immediately and open a new one which he does not have access to.|::::|Yes. Go to the police and show them the bank statements, your earnings and the money that has gone out. I don t know if they can do anything since he is still technically on the account but it s worth a shot. In the meantime, set up a new acount and change you direct deposit to go into that. |::::|You can call the police, but if you put his name on the account there is probably nothing to be done. I would suggest opening a new account and having your paycheck deposited there.|::::|If its a joint account, he has as much right to the money in it as you have. It was not smart to continue putting your paychecks into a joint account.|::::|you could call the police or cancel your account and mae a new one. I would suggest doing both.|::::|If his name is signatory to the account, with yours, there is nothing you can do. That money is in a shared account and he legally has the same access to it that you do, regardless of who put it in there. Forget about getting him off the account. Open a new account in your name only. Get your wage deposited into that new account, and never use the old account again. Yes, morally it s stealing, but technically, it s not stealing. He legally has access to that joint account. He is obviously not someone you would want to have as your partner. So cut him out of your life by getting a new account and getting your wage transferred into it. No funds in the account with his name on it mean his party suddenly grinds to a financial halt. I would go in and actually ask to have your name withdrawn from the joint account, because if he gets an overdraft and doesn t pay it back, that will screw your credit history. While you re at the bank, ask to set up yet another account, and have your boss put at least 10% of your wage into it. Make it a bank account that gets good interest and has low fees. That way, you will be saving automatically, and by the time you ve forgotten about this rectal polyp... oh, sorry, your ex... you will have a lovely little nest egg to invest. Investing your money for your future is like buying the perfect pair of shoes on sale, but infinitely better, because shoes don t give you financial independence. Best wishes