This is financial abuse
Financial abuse is when someone
- incurs debts in the name of another person by forging their signature
- ensures they have access to a person's bankID, email, and mobile phone
- forces a person into indebtedness through loans and credit
forces a person to start a company - controls how a person uses money
- hides shared money
- coerces a person to participate in financial crime, such as money laundering.
Financial abuse can be divided into three categories
Here are some examples of different types of financial abuse.
Financial control
Financial control involves an abuser taking control over how a person uses their money. Some examples are that the abuser
- questions the person's purchase
- demands something in exchange for money
- checks bank statements
- gives money as a reward
- withholds money as punishment for something the person has done.
Income sabotage
Income sabotage means that an abuser prevents a person from earning their own income through work or student grants.
Financial exploitation
Financial exploitation means that an abuser, for example, forces a person to hand over control of their bankID or to take out bank loans, credit agreements or subscriptions against their will. It may also involve a person being forced to act as a front man in a company or someone starting a company in their name.
How can you help?
Domestic abuse and financial abuse can be difficult topics to discuss. Those who are vulnerable usually do not voluntarily disclose their situation.
Ask questions about finances
You can ask questions about finances when you meet someone to find out if they are experiencing financial abuse. Here are some examples of questions you can ask:
- Can you tell me about your financial situation?
- Do you have full insight into your household finances?
- Is there anyone else who has access to your bank account, bank ID, mobile phone, or email?
- Do you have children at home? How do you think they perceive what is happening between you and your partner?
Provide information on how the victim can act
You can inform the person that they can
- block their bankID, bank account, or debit card, and change the password for their email account — if someone is using it against their will
- object to claims (orders) from the Enforcement Authority – if the claim is incorrect
You have received a claim
- contact the person who wants to be get paid (the applicant)
Contact the person you owe
- contact the budget and debt advice service in your area – it is free of charge and the advisers are bound by professional confidentiality
Get help with budget and debt issues
- read more about what financial abuse is on the following page
Advice for those who are victims of financial abuse
- file a police report if there are threats or abuse in the relationship.
Brott i nära relation
We can help with this
Support and guidance
If the person has debts registered with us, they can contact our customer service department.
Judicial assistance
People who need to leave their homes quickly can apply for our help in getting back personal belongings and property belonging to any children.
Suspension of attachment of earnings
People subject to attachment of earnings can apply for a suspension (respite) of attachment of earnings for a limited period. In the application, the person must explain why and for how long they need respite.
We review the person's application and assess whether they have special reasons. A special reason could be, for example, that the person has lost their property and needs to buy the most essential items for a new home.
The person has special reasons
We grant respite if the person has special reasons for this.
The person has no special reasons
If we consider that the person has no special reasons for respite, we ask those who are to be paid (the creditors). If they approve the person's respite, we usually grant it. We cannot grant respite if any of the creditors say no.
You can advise the person that they can find out what will happen if they come to us.
Get compensation
The person can contact us for help if
- a court has decided that the person is entitled to compensation in a criminal case
- the person who is supposed to pay does not do so.
There is no charge for applying for our assistance in collecting a debt for compensation (enforcement) in a criminal case.
Debt restructuring
The person may be entitled to debt restructuring. To determine whether debt restructuring is appropriate, we recommend that the person takes our debt restructuring test before submitting an application. The test provides a preliminary assessment of the person's eligibility for debt restructuring. The person is anonymous and does not provide any personal information. We do not save the answers either.
The Enforcement Authority’s debt restructuring test
The person can contact the local authority budget and debt advisor for help with their finances or with their application for debt restructuring. Contact details are available on the Consumer Agency's website:
Get help with budget and debt issues
Information about what debt restructuring entails and how individuals can apply for debt restructuring can be found here: