Financial and domestic abuse – how we can support you
If you are in immediate danger of any form of domestic abuse, please call 999, if you’re unable to speak to the operator this should be followed by 55. This will indicate to the operator that you are a victim of domestic abuse and they will know what to do to support you.
What is financial and domestic abuse?
When you think of domestic abuse, you often think of a verbal or physical attack. But financial abuse – which can take many forms – is sadly another common form of abuse.
Financial abuse can occur in all different types of relationships, not just between partners or family members, but also friends or carers - and it could happen to you, or someone you know.
Domestic abuse, or domestic violence, is defined as any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members (including step and in-law family members), regardless of their gender or sexuality. Domestic abuse covers a range of abusive behaviour, including - but not limited to - psychological, physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse.
What could financial abuse look like?
There are many different ways that someone can take control of your money meaning that it can be very hard to spot financial abuse. Here are some examples:
"My dad took out a credit card in my name and has spent the whole balance without me knowing."
"My partner controls everything, I can't even see my own bank statement or get access to online banking."
"My sister offered to help sort out my finances and she has stolen all of my savings and added her name to my account."
How we can support you
If you're facing financial and domestic abuse, we're here to support you and help you regain control of your finances. If you're able to, please call us on 0345 900 0900 and one of our colleagues will talk you through ways in which we could help.
If you’re unable to call us, let us know when it’s safe to contact you and we’ll arrange for our specialist team to call you back.
How will this work?
- Complete the form below
- Our specialist team will call you from an unknown number on the date and time you choose
- When you confirm you are safe to talk, we’ll locate your account and support you in the best way we can
If you are in immediate danger please call 999. For non emergencies call 101.
If you'd prefer not to speak to us directly about your finances, there are other organisations that are good at listening or giving advice. Take a look at additional support below.
We understand every situation is different, so we've also outlined some additional steps you could take.
You can contact the organisations below for support and advice.
Tech Abuse & Browsing History
Someone may use your phone, laptop, tablet etc to try to control, harass, or intimidate you – this is called ‘tech abuse’.
They may try to:
- Check what you have viewed online
- Look for any changes you make to your security settings
- Discover any support you’re receiving
The charity Refuge explains how to secure your tech even if you share devices or accounts with someone else.
If you’re concerned someone is monitoring what you do online, you can remove your browsing history.
Chat history will be visible in the banking app and Internet Banking for 13 months and cannot be deleted.
Additional support
The Bright Sky app
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