Texas woman thinks her mom took out a $20K loan in her name without permission. Dave Ramsey offers her 2 'ugly' options

Core Insights - A 23-year-old woman from Houston discovered a $20,000 student loan taken out in her name without her knowledge, potentially by her mother [1][2] - The woman, Amanda, is a teacher earning approximately $48,000 annually and was unaware of her credit history until alerted by her bank [2] - The loan in question was taken out during her final year of college, and Amanda believes it exceeds reasonable education or living expenses [2][3] Group 1 - Amanda was blindsided by the discovery of the loan, which she learned about through a credit alert indicating a drop in her credit score due to accrued interest [1] - She had initially agreed to a $20,000 loan for tuition, but a second $20,000 loan appeared, which she disputes as excessive [2] - Amanda's living expenses were not close to the claimed amount, as her mother only paid for her rent in a shared living situation [3] Group 2 - Financial advisor Dave Ramsey presented Amanda with two difficult options: report the loan as identity theft or pay it off herself [4] - Reporting the loan involves contacting the loan servicer and filing a police report, despite the alleged perpetrator being her mother [4] - Taking out a loan in someone else's name without authorization is classified as identity theft, regardless of the relationship [4]