His Brother Has Been Stealing Money From Their Parents, Pushing Them Past $100K In Debt In Their Late 60s. Will They File Any Charges?
- - His Brother Has Been Stealing Money From Their Parents, Pushing Them Past $100K In Debt In Their Late 60s. Will They File Any Charges?
Adrian VolenikJanuary 20, 2026 at 6:01 AM
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A recent caller to “The Ramsey Show” shared that his older brother has been secretly taking out loans and running up credit card debt in their parents’ names, pushing them more than $100,000 into debt as they approach their 70s.
What began as small requests for gas money slowly escalated into something far more serious. Phil said his brother lied his way into a car loan under their mother's name, stole credit cards without their parents knowing, and left behind unpaid balances that his parents are now legally responsible for. This left hosts Rachel Cruze and George Kamel visibly stunned.
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A Slow-Moving Financial Disaster Inside One Family
“My mom’s on disability. My dad has $40,000 in his 401(k) and they think that’s a lot. I just don’t see a way he’s ever going to be able to retire.”
According to Phil, his mother unknowingly signed documents she didn’t fully understand after being misled by her son. “From what I could gather, it seems like he’s lying to my mom on what she is signing and then gets her to sign something without her reading what it actually is,” he said.
Cruze didn’t sugarcoat the situation. She pointed out that while the circumstances are tragic, signing legal documents still carries consequences. At the same time, both hosts agreed the situation strongly resembles fraud and elder abuse.
Phil added that his brother has a history of drug use and is currently missing. “He’s been on crystal meth before, so I’m not shocked that this is having that involved again,” Phil said. On top of the car loan and credit cards, his brother also has possession of a truck and an RV that Phil believes carries a $250,000 loan, likely in their father’s name.
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“He has not made a single payment,” Phil said, referring to the truck. “I don’t even know how long he’s going to have it for, but he still has it.” If either vehicle is repossessed, the debt will fall squarely on their parents. That leaves Phil’s parents exposed. If the truck or other assets are repossessed, the lenders will still pursue them for the remaining balances.
To make matters worse, Phil’s mother recently suffered a stroke, and his father has largely stayed out of financial decisions throughout their marriage. “My dad has not done anything financial in their entire marriage,” Phil said. “He doesn’t know anything about it. He doesn’t want to know anything about it.”
Kamel added that Phil is carrying a burden that isn’t his responsibility, as the only one in the family taking care of a mess he didn’t create. Unless Phil’s parents are willing to take action like freezing credit, filing police reports, or pressing charges, there’s very little he can legally do.
Phil admitted that’s the part that worries him most. “I’m worried that my parents aren’t going to file any kind of charges,” he said. “How do you do that to your firstborn son?”
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Kamel warned that choosing not to act comes with long-term consequences. If the loans remain unpaid, the damage will follow Phil’s parents for the rest of their lives. Bankruptcy may ultimately be their only option if the debt can’t be challenged as fraud.
Situations like this are more common than many families realize, especially when aging parents are overwhelmed, unwell, or trusting the wrong person. In cases where adult children are trying to help parents make sense of retirement, debt, and long-term planning, outside guidance can make a difference. WiserAdvisor offers a free way to connect with vetted financial advisors who specialize in retirement planning, which can be a helpful first step when emotions and money are colliding.
For Phil, the hardest part may be accepting his limits. “You can’t make them do something, or even convince them to change their minds,” Cruze said. “It’s going to be a discouraging situation.”
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