Financial and domestic abuse

If you’re experiencing financial and/or domestic abuse, we’re here to help you get the support you need.

If you’re in immediate danger and can’t talk...

Call 999 from your mobile, followed by 55 when prompted and stay on the line. This will flag that you’re in immediate need of assistance and you’ll be automatically transferred to the police.

If you’re calling from a landline, call 999 and listen to the operator’s questions if possible. You can respond by coughing or tapping the handset.

Financial abuse is a legally recognised form of domestic abuse and is defined in the Domestic Abuse Act. Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first]

Financial abuse involves the control of a person’s money and finances, as well as the things that money can buy. While it often occurs in the context of intimate partner violence, it could also occur in family, carer or third-party relationships (eg Power of Attorney).

Financial abuse can include but isn’t limited to:

exerting control over income, spending, bank accounts, bills and borrowing
controlling access to and use of things like transport, technology, property and daily essentials like food and clothing
destroying items and refusing to contribute to household costs.

The Financial Conduct Authority has guidance for banks and building societies on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers. This includes customers who have experienced financial abuse.

If you contact us about financial abuse, our team will respond with empathy and be flexible to your needs, offering you specialist help. You can also rest assured that your conversation will be confidential and that you won’t be asked to repeat your story.

If it’s easier for you, we can also speak to your friends, family or advocacy services on your behalf.

Domestic abuse (domestic violence) is defined by the Government as:

Any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between anyone aged 16+, who are or have been intimate partners or family members.

This includes step and in-law family members, regardless of their gender or sexuality.

‘Domestic abuse’ covers a range of types of abuse, including psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional.

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background.

How to spot financial abuse

It can be difficult to spot financial abuse because there are many different ways someone could take control of another person's money. Here are some examples:

Financial abuse from a partner, family member, friend or carer can look like:

Finance control

someone taking out money or getting credit in your name without your knowledge or consent
someone cashing in your pension or other funds without your authorisation
someone has offered to buy shopping or pay bills for you, but you don’t see this happening.

Behaviour control

someone making you hand over control of your accounts
they’ve added their name to your account
they’ve asked you to change your will
you’re being stopped from seeing other friends and family.

Other financial abuse:

Finance control

you’re no longer able to access your financial services provider accounts
your partner has stopped you from spending on essential items
they’ve taken out credit cards and/or loans in your name
they’ve spent your household budget on things without telling you
they refuse to contribute towards the mortgage so you can't afford the repayments
your partner has put all the bills in your name.

Behaviour control

they’re stopping you from working or going to work
they’re stopping you from going to college or university
you’re being asked to account for every single thing you spend.

If you think you might be experiencing financial abuse, we're here to help you take back control of your money.

There are Safe Spaces at HSBC UK branches, which you can use however you need. These private spaces offer a safe and discreet way to reach out to friends and family and contact specialist support services.

If you're experiencing financial or domestic abuse, you can request a call back from our specialist team at a time you think you'll be free to talk. To do this:

fill in the form, letting us know a time you'd like us to call you. Please choose a date and time at least 48 hours in the future
on the date and time you've requested, we'll call you from an unknown number
if you confirm that you're free to talk, we’ll ask a couple of questions to confirm you’re you
we’ll then let you know about the ways we can help and support you in the best way we can.

If we haven't been able to get in touch with you at the time you've given, we won't try again. If you'd still like to speak to us, please submit another form.

Call or chat with us

You can call us directly on 03 456 100 100. We’re available 24/7.

If you have additional or complex needs and require extra help or support, you can chat to someone in our specially trained Vulnerable Customer Support Team. They’re available:

Monday to Friday between 8am and 10pm
Saturday and Sunday between 8am and 7pm.

Just open our chat service and type ‘Talk to Finn’. You’ll then be asked for more information about why you’re getting in touch, so that we can get you the right help quickly.

Scan the QR code to head to the App.

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Chat with us

Don't have our App yet? You can still chat to us by logging in to Online Banking and selecting 'Message us'.

How can first direct help?

As your bank, here are just some of the ways we can help you if you think you might be experiencing financial or domestic abuse:

Cards, PINs and passwords

If you’re worried that your card details or PIN have been disclosed, please call us on 03 456 100 100. We can have a chat about any concerns you may have and quickly arrange a new card and PIN if necessary.

Cards

Cancelling your card will have an immediate effect and you need to ring us to do this.

You can request a replacement card via Online Banking. Simply log on and go to ‘Balances’ then ‘Manage Account’ and ‘Card and PIN’.

Replacement cards take 5-7 working days to arrive and your old card will expire once the new card is used.

PINs

You can request a new PIN via Online Banking. Simply log on and go to ‘Balances’ then ‘Manage Account’ and ‘Card and PIN’.

If you don’t need a new PIN but you wish to change it or unlock your existing PIN, you can do this at an ATM (cash machine).

Changing username and passwords

To make sure that your accounts are more secure, you may want to change your log on details for your Digital and Telephone Banking. You can do this by calling us on 03 456 100 100.

Or, if you prefer, you can change your username and passwords via Online Banking. Simply log on and go to ‘My details’ then ‘Security details’. To make sure it’s really you who’s requesting the change, you’ll need your Secure Key to generate an extra security code.

Mail we send you

If your circumstances might make it difficult to receive mail at your home address, you can opt for online statements via Online Banking. To do this, simply log on and go to ‘My details’ then ‘Statement preferences’.

We can also add a different ‘service address’ on your account, so that any mail we send you goes to a different address. To arrange this, please give us a call on 03 456 100 100.

Third Party access

You can set up another party or person to help carry out day-to-day banking on your account. To do this, you’ll need to fill in a third party mandate form. Give us a call on 03 456 100 100 to request the form and we can let you know more about what a third party holder can do to support you.

If you’re worried about the access someone has to your money or the financial decisions they make on your behalf, you can remove their access at any time. Or you can arrange for someone else to have third party access.

Find out more about third party access.

Joint accounts

We’ll support you to take control of your finances, and where possible, separate joint finances. We can:

review any joint accounts you have with someone else, such as current accounts and credit cards
help you open accounts in your sole name, with a non-geographical sort code
discuss changing the way your joint account is set up, so that both parties need to sign for any outgoing transactions (your regular payments will still be paid, but nothing else can leave your account without your knowledge)
suspend the account to make sure that no transactions are made.

Credit cards

If you have a credit card with us, you can check if you’re the primary or secondary cardholder.

The primary cardholder is responsible for the repayment of all money spent. If you’re in any dispute, we’d recommend that you remove a secondary cardholder as soon as possible, to make sure nothing else can be spent on the card.

We’d also recommend checking your credit file. This’ll help you identify any lending in your name. Look out for loans, overdrafts, store cards or credit cards that may have been taken out in your name or against your property. If there’s anything you didn’t apply for, contact us as soon as it’s safe.

Here’s where you can find out more about your credit file. Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first]

Mortgages

We're here to support you and we'll do our best to help you get control of your money.

If your financial circumstances have changed through no fault of your own, there are several ways we can help. Our dedicated teams can talk to you about coerced debt, missed payments or worries about making them in the future.

Visit our money worries hub page for more information and who to contact.

Debts

If you're a first direct customer and you're experiencing money worries, our team can talk to you about ways we can help. You can call us on 03 456 100 100, we're available 24/7/365.

Visit our dealing with financial difficulty page for support if you're struggling with your money.

You can also visit our money worries hub for more information on how we can support you.

Fraud

If you think someone has taken out credit in your name or feel you've been tricked into giving your security details, please call us as soon as possible.

call 03 456 100 100 (we’re available 24/7/365)
call from abroad +44 113 234 5678.

Your credit file

If you have any joint finances with someone and that relationship ends, they might show up on your credit file. If you don't want this to happen, you can apply for a notice of disassociation.

A notice of disassociation is a request that you and the joint party are no longer connected financially. You could ask for one when a financial association you had with someone, a loan with an ex-partner for example, ends.

The first port of call would be credit reference agencies, such as Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You can also register with cifas.org.uk Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] who’ll be able to alert you if any credit applications are made in your name.

You could also obtain a ‘Notice of Correction’, which is a short statement that you can use to add further information to an entry on your credit report. For example, you could use it to explain why you fell behind with the repayments on a loan or credit agreement. Any lender checking your credit file will see your statement and should take it into account when assessing your creditworthiness.

Tech abuse

‘Tech abuse’ is when someone uses your phone, laptop, tablet etc to try to control, harass, or intimidate you. 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 Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first], even if you share devices or accounts with someone else.

Browsing history

If you’re concerned someone is monitoring your internet history or what you do online, you can remove your browser history.

How to delete your browser history

Google Chrome

on the top right-hand side, select ‘More’ (the 3 dots under the close window button), then ‘History’
when the new window opens, select ‘Clear browsing data’ on the left-hand side, then select from the drop-down menu how much history you want to erase
choose the boxes you want Chrome to delete, then select ‘Clear data’.

Internet Explorer

select the ‘Tools’ button, choose ‘History’, and ‘More’ (the 3 dots next to the search icon)
then select ‘Clear browsing data’
or click ‘X’ from the dropdown list to individually delete browsing data.

Safari

go to ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Safari’
tap ‘Clear History and Website Data’.

Firefox

select ‘Menu’, then ‘Library’ and ‘History’
choose ‘Clear recent history’ and select from the dropdown menu next to ‘Time range to clear’ to indicate how much of the history you’d like to erase
select ‘OK’ to delete your browsing data.

Edge

click the 3 dots in the top right of the page, then ‘Settings’
select ‘Privacy, Search and Services’
under ‘Delete browsing data’ click ‘Choose what to clear’
select a time range of what you’d like to delete and click clear now.

Opera

from the ‘History’ page, tap the three-dot menu
tap ‘Clear History’
in the double-check prompt, select ‘Clear’.

Yahoo

sign in to Yahoo and click the box in the upper-right corner of the Yahoo! search page
select ‘Settings’ then ‘Search history’ from the far-left menu
click the trash icon next to each item you want to delete or select ‘Clear history’ to erase your entire search history.

Incognito (Private mode)

If you use this mode, the browser won't store the search history, cookies or temporary files.

Exit button

Websites that offer domestic abuse support often have an ‘Exit’ button, which allows you to quickly exit the website. Familiarise yourself with where it’s located on each website.

Refuge Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (free 24 hour helpline 0808 2000 247) – Domestic violence support for women and children
Women’s Aid Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] – Provides local, regional and national services for support specialising in violence against women and children
Respect Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (0808 801 0327) – Men’s advise line to support men affected by domestic abuse. Lines open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm
Mankind Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (Freephone 0808 800 1170) (Helpline 0182 333 4244) – Helping men escape domestic abuse. Lines open Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm (excluding Bank Holidays)
Samaritians Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (116 123 free 24 hour helpline in the UK and Ireland) – If you’re going through a tough time and you need someone to talk to, they listen. They won't judge or tell you what to do
Live Fear Free Helpline Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (free 24 hour helpline 0808 801 0800) – Welsh women’s aid if you’re experiencing any form of violence or abuse
Age UK Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (0800 055 6112) – Protect yourself and loved ones from elderly abuse and neglect. Lines open 8am to 7pm everyday
Galop Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] (0800 999 5428) – The LGBT+ anti-abuse charity. National helpline for LGBT and victims and survivors or abuse and violence. See website for opening times
Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first] – Information for supporting you - transforming responses to economic abuse.