"This is Criminal Fraud"

Summary

Podcast Summary: "This is Criminal Fraud"

Podcast: The Ramsey Show Highlights
Date: November 23, 2025
Host(s): The Ramsey Network (Primary: Dave Ramsey, with co-host Dr. John Delony)
Episode Length: ~8 minutes

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Main Theme

The episode centers on a caller’s troubling discovery: her father-in-law has been conducting investment activity using her husband’s Social Security number—without consent. The situation quickly escalates from a family issue to a potential legal crisis, as hosts Dave Ramsey and Dr. John Delony deliver urgent, unfiltered advice about financial boundaries, familial dysfunction, and taking legal action against fraud—even when the criminal is a family member.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller’s Story: “Our In-Laws Used My Husband’s Identity” (00:06–01:04)

• The caller (“B”) and her husband found his Social Security number already linked to investment accounts recommended by their in-laws.
• Despite repeated, firm requests to disentangle, investments are still being made in his name.
• They continue to receive “refund checks” for taxes on these investments—even after asking for it to stop.
• The in-laws insist they are doing this “for your future” and suggest not pursuing the issue.

2. Host Reaction: Zero-Tolerance for Family Fraud (01:04–02:46)

• Dave Ramsey immediately brands the behavior as criminal:

  "So your father in law is a con artist. I mean, yeah, he's a criminal. This is criminal freaking fraud." (01:39, Dave Ramsey)

• Strong warning: What’s happening isn’t just unethical, it’s illegal—potential grounds for SEC involvement and jail time.
• Dave emphasizes the seriousness by contrasting his outrage with the caller’s relative passivity:

  "See the difference in how I reacted and how y' all reacted? We've been told we're not to talk about this. Well, you by God, better. You can talk about it from cell block C if you want." (02:14, Dave Ramsey)

3. Boundary-Setting and Taking Action (02:46–04:47)

• Firm advice: The husband needs to demand (again) that all accounts be shut down within 48 hours, or file a police report.
• The caller confirms they’ve requested accounts be closed, but haven’t threatened legal action.
• Dave and Dr. Delony chastise both the caller and her husband for lack of backbone and urgency:

  "I got a plan for you. I don't want you in my future because my future looks like jail time right next to you, and I don't need a future that involves you." (03:36, Dave Ramsey)

• Urges that only the husband—whose identity is at risk—should confront the parents head-on.

4. The Need for Accountability—Even Toward Family (04:47–05:55)

• Dave and John highlight the gravity of being “complicit” by not acting immediately.
• Dr. Delony delivers a sobering perspective:

  "You're complicit in this now. ... And I'm not trying to be a downer. She was nervous. Well, but it's not funny. There's actually nothing funny about this. I hope you hear the urgency." (05:09, Dr. John Delony)

• Both hosts recommend an urgent, serious confrontation and swift follow-up with law enforcement.

5. Larger Context: Family Dysfunction and Legal Dangers (05:55–07:33)

• Dave points out this isn’t an isolated case—identity theft within families happens and is still a crime:

  "Your family has no idea how the legal system works in America today. And when you're doing investments, you're now involving the Securities and Exchange Commission. It's not simply banking laws." (07:08, Dave Ramsey)

• Expands on past examples: comparing to cases of parents opening credit cards in a child’s name, emphasizing denial and justification within families.

6. The Legal and Emotional Urgency (07:33–End)

• Dr. Delony stresses that financial regulators will “love to make examples” of such cases; the risk is real and imminent.
• Dave’s advice: immediately call the investment firm to prove identity ownership and discover the true extent of the fraud—then follow up with authorities.
• He critiques the “family script” of secrecy and avoidance:

  "I'm here to say the emperor has no clothes. Your family script is cuckoo." (08:07, Dave Ramsey)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave Ramsey, on bold boundary-setting:
  "You have 48 hours to send us proof that you've shut down all of these accounts or, Mom, I'm filing a police report on you and dad. Do you understand here? And this is your husband doing it, not you, because it's his freaking parents. Good Lord." (04:10)

• Dr. John Delony’s blunt wake-up call:
  "You're complicit in this now. ... and I'm not trying to be a downer...but it's not funny. There's actually nothing funny about this. I hope you hear the urgency." (05:09)

• Dave Ramsey’s dismissal of in-law justification:
  'Oh, we're doing this for your future.' Kiss my butt." (03:25)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:06–01:04: Caller explains the in-law identity theft situation
• 01:39: Dave first calls out the behavior as “criminal freaking fraud”
• 02:14: Dave drives home the severity versus the caller’s passivity
• 03:36: Dave dramatizes the consequences—“jail time right next to you”
• 04:10: Dave outlines the ultimatum to the in-laws
• 05:09: Dr. Delony addresses complicity and urgency
• 07:08: Dave breaks down the legal implications (beyond “just family”)
• 08:07: Dave denounces the family’s culture of secrecy

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Tone & Delivery

The tone is classic Ramsey—blunt, humorous in its exasperation, but deeply serious about consequences. Both hosts balance tough love with urgent practical advice, making it clear the stakes are legal and emotional—far beyond awkward family holidays.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Protect Your Identity: Even family can (and sometimes do) commit financial fraud. Ignoring it doesn’t make you “nice”—it makes you vulnerable and potentially complicit.
• Set Hard Boundaries: Act firmly and directly, especially if the law is being broken.
• Don’t Let Family Scripts Override Legal Reality: The law is clear—financial crime is crime, no matter how loving (or insistent) the perpetrator.
• Seek Help and Take Action Fast: Contact institutions, seek legal advice, and don’t delay action out of politeness or fear of conflict.

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Final Thoughts

This episode serves as both a warning and an urgent call to action for anyone facing financial abuse or fraud within their family. The Ramsey Network’s hosts cut through denial and inertia with clarity (and a little comic relief), urging all listeners: don’t let “dysfunction” become “complicity.”

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

My husband and I are debt free and we were looking into investing and at the advice of a family member, our in laws, they suggested to use a site that they had been using. And when we tried to create an account, we found that my husband's Social Security number was already in use. And we have been told not to look into that further. We can't create the account because his Social Security is in use. And we found out essentially that investments and things are being made in his name. Even though he's requested that they stop. They're sending us quote unquote refund checks for the taxes that we pay on these investments. How can we get away from this situation essentially and be financially independent of our in laws?

[C]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah, it's fun.

[A]

So your father in law is a con artist.

[C]

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[A]

So your father in law is a con artist. I mean, yeah, he's a criminal. This is criminal freaking fraud.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Well, you need to own this emotionally. This guy's not only out of control, he's like go to jail. Out of control. You're screwing around with securities and Exchange Commission with fraudulent transactions. All y' all are messing up. You're messing up by allowing it to occur. And he's go to jail time if they get good God, people.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow. See the difference in how I reacted and how y' all reacted? We've been told. We've been told we're not to talk about this. Well, you by God, better. You can talk about it from cell block C if you want. Yeah.

[D]

Have you measured your jumpsuits? Just to see how you look at them.

[B]

They'll probably be short.

[A]

Yeah. I'm just saying I don't know how.

[D]

You look in orange, but you should probably look into that.

[A]

So this is what's known as a family. That puts the fun in dysfunctional.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

So when is your husband going to call his dad and mom and say, guys, you need to shut all of these accounts down in the next 48 hours or I'm filing a police report.

[B]

So we've done that. We just haven't filed the police report.

[A]

You told them that? Yes, and they did not shut them down.

[B]

We didn't tell them we were going to file a police report, but we've requested multiple times, very sternly, I'll say that in a polite way to take the name off. Get rid of it. We don't want anything to do with it. Cease and desist.

[D]

What was their reaction?

[B]

Oh, we're doing this for your future.

[A]

Kiss my butt.

[D]

You guys suck at poker as well. I'd love to play poker against you all.

[A]

You fold on everything.

[D]

Yeah. They just push you around.

[A]

This is nutto. Yeah. Say, hey, I got a plan for you. I don't want you in my future because my future looks like jail time right next to you, and I don't need a future that involves you. I'm being really bold and weird and crazy and overdramatic here, but my point is that you guys have not been strong enough on this. Okay, maybe not as crazy as I've been for the last few minutes, but seriously, you guys got to get up on this and say, listen, we've talked to an attorney. What you're doing is illegal. You're harming us. I know you think you're doing something good, but you're not. And you have 48 hours to send us proof that you've shut down all of these accounts or, Mom, I'm filing a police report on you and dad. Do you understand here? And this is your husband doing it, not you, because it's his freaking parents. Good Lord.

[D]

Why are you on the phone with this and not him?

[B]

Well, he wasn't exactly a fan of this. And when I. Our last conversation that we all had around this and after that ended, I said, I'm going to call the Ramsey show, and he just kind of laughed. I guess he didn't think I was really going to do it.

[A]

Well, now you can play this back for the whole family if you want. I think you could send it to mom and dad.

[D]

Yeah. And I think you need to make sure you.

[A]

Hey, mom and dad, if you happen to hear this, you suck. This is horrible what you're doing to your children. I know you think you're being smart, but you are way out of control. Never met. Met the word called boundaries. And we want to introduce it to you.

[D]

Yeah, here's the thing. You're complicit. In this now.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And it's kind of scary that you called the show and. And you've said that you're complicit in it, because I. I think you've laughed, and I. And I'm not trying to be a downer.

[A]

She was nervous.

[D]

Well, but it's not funny. There's actually nothing funny about this. I hope you hear the urgency. I don't think Dave was too extreme. I actually think that's what you should do, because I don't even know. I'm no legal expert, and I haven't played one on tv, but. But I do think this thing is far more serious as to what you all know than you actually realize.

[A]

Yeah, there's probably other stuff going on.

[D]

I'd be terrified.

[A]

Usually when you tip something like this over, a raccoon runs out with the trash.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And. And honestly, we kind of suspected that recently, just with how adamant they were, because since this account's in my husband's social, he could easily call the company and, you know, get detailed information. And it was like, don't you dare. Like, you don't need to be looking in there.

[A]

And he still hasn't. We need to run your husband down to Walmar, have him pick up a backbone on aisle three. He's gonna. Y' all are gonna have deal with this, honey. It's a mess. Y' all are. Y' all are mess. Y' all are a hot mess. Oh, my gosh. So, you know, the first time I ever ran into this was a long, long time ago when I. We. It was like decades ago. We started hearing the word identity theft. I'd never heard the word before. And it started coming up. You know, the Internet started having more prolification, and when I started the show, there was no Internet. That's how long the show's been on the air. But I started hearing that, and then I got just. I just got hillbilly mad because some guy calls in and goes, I'm 24, and my mom has seven credit cards that she opened in my name when I was 12 and 14 years old. And I'm like, your mother is a freaking criminal. She stole your identity. And the problem is the victim is just like her husband. Like, well, it's just kind of how our family does things. Your family's full of criminals. That's how your family does things. Your family has no idea how the legalities, how the legal system works in America today. And when you're doing investments, you're now involving the securities and Exchange Commission. It's not simply banking laws. I mean, banking laws are credit card theft, right? Or identity theft. Opening a credit card, you start open a dadgum mutual fund with a licensed broker. Oh, my God. You don't understand.

[D]

They love to make examples of people like this.

[A]

Especially stupid people really do.

[D]

The people that investigate this kind of stuff are the most uptight investigators. They are purists. This is scary stuff. And I just wonder what else is going on. When the dad says, don't look into this.

[A]

Don't look under the covers.

[D]

Dave, I, I, I'm serious here when I ask you this. I'm trying to put myself in a position. If this was me, I would call the company and prove to the company that I'm the actual person with the Social Security.

[A]

Find out, Find out the depth of what I wouldn't. But that's only. There's only one company that you found so far.

[D]

I wouldn't threaten the parents.

[A]

I just go ahead and I would do both. And I do it by nightfall. I mean, before the sun sets on the horizon. It's putting things off because the problem is there's a family script here that says don't look, which makes me worried about. I'm here to say the emperor has no clothes. Okay. Your family script is cuckoo. Create your free every dollar budget today. The simplest way to budget for your life.