Safety first

If someone may be monitoring your device, the safest option is to use a device they cannot access, a friend’s phone or a library computer. If that is not possible, use incognito or private browsing mode and clear your browser history after visiting. Incognito does not hide activity from spyware installed on the device itself.

If you need to talk to someone nowRegion

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or text 98824/7 · Call or text 988. Free, confidential, for any kind of crisis.
National Domestic Violence Hotline, call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 8878824/7 · Free, confidential. Over 200 languages via interpreters.
love is respect, call 1-866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 2252224/7 · For teens and young adults in dating relationships.
Crisis Text Line or text HOME to 74174124/7 · Text-based crisis counseling.
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673 or text HOPE to 6467324/7 · Free, confidential. Connects to a local sexual assault service provider.
The Trevor Project, call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 67867824/7 · For LGBTQ+ young people. Free and confidential, by phone, text, or chat.
Trans Lifeline, call 1-877-565-8860Check current hours on their site · Trans peer support, run by and for trans people. Does not call police without consent.

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Recovered Archive / Safety

Financial Abuse and Economic Control

Financial abuse is when someone uses money, credit, debt, or access to economic resources to control, trap, or punish you. It is one of the most common reasons survivors stay or return, and it often escalates after separation.

What it is

Financial abuse includes controlling access to money, forcing you into debt, ruining your credit, preventing employment, withholding financial information, controlling bank accounts, and stealing your identity for financial gain. It is a pattern of economic control, not a single bad decision. Some of these acts overlap with identity theft, see the identity theft guide for the documentation and recovery layer.

How it is used against survivors

▌Blocking independence. If you have no money, no job, and no credit, leaving can feel impossible.
▌Creating dependency. Forcing you to rely on the abuser for food, housing, transportation, or medicine.
▌Punishment. Ruining your credit, draining accounts, or creating debt after you leave.
▌Surveillance. Tracking your spending, demanding receipts, or monitoring accounts to maintain control.
▌Sabotaging employment. Interfering with your job, schedule, transportation, or professional reputation.

Warning signs

▌Joint accounts or assets you cannot access, even when you need money for basic needs.
▌Debt in your name that you did not agree to or did not understand.
▌Being forced to quit jobs, prevented from working, or required to hand over your paycheck.
▌An allowance system you did not agree to, or money given only as a reward for compliance.
▌Bills, loans, or credit cards in your name but controlled by someone else.
▌Pressure to sign financial documents you do not understand or were not allowed to read.
▌A ruined credit score that you cannot explain, or accounts you did not open.

What you can do now

▌Open a separate account at a different bank. Use a safer device and a safe address for correspondence. Some banks can flag accounts for privacy.
▌Get your credit report. Use annualcreditreport.com for free weekly reports. Look for accounts, inquiries, or addresses you do not recognize.
▌Document debts you did not agree to. Keep copies of applications, statements, and any coerced communication about money.
▌Save evidence of financial control. Screenshots of account locks, texts about money, pay stubs taken from you, and witness accounts matter.
▌Contact a domestic violence advocate. Financial safety planning is a standard part of survivor advocacy.
▌Consider freezing your credit. A freeze at all three bureaus stops new accounts from being opened in your name.
▌Talk to legal aid. Debts signed under duress or fraud may be disputable. A lawyer can help separate legitimate debt from coerced debt.

Related guides

When to get outside help

Financial abuse is often part of a larger pattern of coercive control. A domestic violence advocate can help you build a financial safety plan, access emergency funds, and separate your credit safely.

Browse financial abuse advocates and resources →

If you know a resource, law, or tool that should be added here, use contact.