Her Mom Took Student Loans In Her Name And Spent Some Of It. Dave Ramsey Says It's 'Scummy' And He's Furious His Tax Dollars Are Paying For It

Core Insights - A 23-year-old caller revealed that her mother took out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans in her name without her knowledge, leading to significant financial and emotional distress [1][2]. Group 1: Loan Discovery - The caller, Amanda, initially believed she had one $20,000 student loan for her final year of college but later discovered a second loan exceeding $20,000, which negatively impacted her credit score [2][3]. - Amanda was unaware of her credit score until she received an alert indicating a drop, highlighting her lack of knowledge about her financial situation [3][4]. Group 2: Loan Details and Family Dynamics - The first loan of $20,000 was assumed to cover tuition and living expenses, but Amanda questioned the necessity of the amount, given her tuition was approximately $17,000 [3][4]. - The second loan was particularly perplexing, as Amanda stated her living expenses could not justify an additional $20,000, and she had not signed for this loan [4][5]. Group 3: Expert Commentary and Options - Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey characterized the situation as fraud, emphasizing the misuse of taxpayer-backed student loans and expressing anger over the mother's actions [6]. - Ramsey outlined two difficult options for Amanda: reporting the loan as identity theft and involving law enforcement, despite the perpetrator being her own mother [6].