Episode Overview
Title: She's Falling Prey To The Shopping Channel & Facebook Scams
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Dave Ramsey (with Dr. John Delony)
Caller: Gary
In this episode of The Ramsey Show Highlights, Dave Ramsey and Dr. John Delony take a call from Gary, whose 85-year-old mother-in-law has accumulated substantial debt due to compulsive shopping on TV networks and falling victim to digital scams, including those on Facebook. The discussion centers on the financial, legal, and emotional challenges of protecting vulnerable seniors from predatory practices and technological pitfalls.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Caller’s Dilemma: Out-of-Control Spending (00:10 - 01:17)
- Gary shares his mother-in-law’s situation:
- 85-year-old widow, fixed Social Security income, $38,000 in credit card debt from shopping networks (QVC, JTV, HSN), ongoing ATM withdrawals, and attempts to refinance her home to cover debts.
- She entered a debt consolidation program without family consent.
- Gary’s main question: How to address both the accumulated debt and the ongoing unauthorized spending draining her account daily.
Gary (00:10): "She's racked up $38,000 in debt on credit cards through QVC, JTV... She’s gone into a debt consolidation company without our knowledge... money coming out of her ATM now daily that's drawing her into the negative."
2. Financial Control: Tough Love with Compassion (01:17 - 03:35)
- Dave recommends a decisive strategy:
- Shut down all existing bank accounts.
- Open a new account under Gary’s control (utilizing his financial power of attorney) to restrict all spending.
- Provide her only with essential funds/items.
- Dr. John Delony clarifies that, since she hasn't been declared incompetent, this must be done voluntarily.
Dave Ramsey (01:40): "I want her to shut down all of her checking accounts and she has no spending available to her except what you give her and you operate her account as if she's incompetent voluntarily."
Dave Ramsey (02:15): "I will make sure you have food and your house, and I will get these bills paid off for you. But we're going to stop all spending, and I'm going to control the account and make sure you have stuff until you can get the other side of this."
3. The Emotional Root: Loneliness & Vulnerability (03:35 - 04:54)
- Dave repeatedly stresses the emotional dynamics:
- The true problem is not just financial, but loneliness. Elderly individuals form bonds with shopping channel hosts or are exploited by scammers offering attention.
- This cycle continues unless the ability to spend is completely curtailed.
Dave Ramsey (04:15): "Larry Burkett used to say, financial problems are not the problem, they're the symptom. If these problems are the symptom, then what's the real problem? I think it's loneliness."
- Gary adds that her confusion with Facebook links further compounds the issue; she often doesn’t realize what she’s agreeing to.
4. Family Dynamics & Legal Considerations (05:09 - 06:59)
- Dave, John, and Gary discuss:
- Keeping the entire family (his wife and siblings-in-law) informed to avoid future accusations of mishandling or theft.
- Maintaining careful records ("a real clear ledger") and monthly reporting to preempt familial disputes post-mortem.
- Third-party intervention: Sometimes, a non-blood relative can get through; other times, only her children can.
Dave Ramsey (05:38): "Just keep a real clear ledger so you know exactly where every bit of it went. So you can handle an audit. And you send them the audit and go, good luck. Figure it out. You weren't there, you weren't helping."
5. The Broader Problem: Elder Financial Abuse and Technological Exploitation (07:12 - 09:32)
- Dave shares his own frustrations about the limits of family influence, pointing out that even well-intentioned advice can fall on deaf ears.
- John highlights a systemic issue: headlines talk about elderly wealth, but many elders are actually losing money to scams.
- Dave notes two accelerating trends:
- "Buy now, pay later" schemes—multiple easy payments even for small purchases.
- The increased speed and scale of technological scams.
John (08:03): “...the more I'm on this show, I'm hearing more and more of what I would call the other untold story of aging populations that are increasingly falling for Internet scams.”
Dave Ramsey (09:01): “I’ve been hearing the shopping channel thing with aging for 30 years, forever and going on forever. ...What I will tell you has increased is two things. Buy now, pay later. ...And then the other thing is just technology has, you know, increased the size the scale the speed at which people get screwed.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Dave Ramsey (02:39): “You preyed on old people and took advantage of them and sold them stuff they couldn’t afford. So you’re going to get what you deserve, which is nothing, honey.”
- John (08:38): “The Nigerian prince has a bitcoin.”
- Dave Ramsey (09:01): “...Buy now, pay later. The four easy payments for a freaking T-shirt. A $9 T-shirt, you get four payments on it. Okay. It’s a problem here, people.”
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:10: Gary outlines the problem: mother-in-law’s escalating debt and scam vulnerability
- 01:40: Dave’s advice: Take total financial control, operate accounts “as if she’s incompetent”
- 04:15: Discussion of loneliness as the root cause
- 05:38: Dave cautions about family transparency and keeping records
- 07:12: Dave’s story about the limits of giving advice, even as an expert
- 08:03: John raises broader concerns about elderly financial scams
- 09:01: Dave discusses the rise of “buy now, pay later” and the speed of scams
Conclusion
This episode tackles the intersection of personal finance, elder care, and the psychological vulnerabilities that lead to financial exploitation. The hosts urge decisive, compassionate intervention, thorough documentation, and clear communication with family. Listeners are reminded that financial symptoms can often mask deeper emotional problems—and that today's technology amplifies both opportunities and dangers for seniors.