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Economic abuse can include exerting control over income, spending, bank accounts, bills and borrowing. It can also include controlling or restring access to goods or service e.g. a mobile phone, transport to work and daily essentials.
Economic abuse can take many forms. An abuser might do any of the following:
- They control your access to money, bank cards, or other resources such as food and shelter.
- They decide how much you can or cannot spend because they make all the money in the household. Alternatively, they take your wages and decide how much you can or cannot spend.
- They have taken out loans or credit cards in your name without your agreement.
- They get angry at you for how you spend money.
- They only visit you when you are due to be paid your wages or benefits.
- They regularly affect your ability to work, such as by stopping you from reaching your workplace on time, or causing problems between you and your colleagues.
- They have directly caused you to receive disciplinary action or be fired from your job.
- They give you pocket money or insist on receipts or change from purchases.
- They spend the majority of the household income leaving little for you to care for yourself and/or children.
- They don’t allow you access to a phone or bank account
- They have broken your possessions e.g. phone, laptop or damaged things within your house you will have to pay to replace
- They have intentionally built up debt in your name e.g. rent arrears or not paid household bills
- They force you to work one or multiple jobs.
More information about financial and economic abuse can be found on Surviving Economic Abuse
