We're here to help you take back control of your money
If you think you might be a victim of financial abuse, we're here to help you get back to managing your money yourself.
Browsing history
If you’re concerned someone is monitoring your internet history or what you do online, you can remove your browser history.
What's financial abuse?
Financial abuse is when someone takes control over another adult's finances. They could be doing this to reduce their victim’s independence, take advantage of them or in some cases make them reliant on them.
You might be suffering from financial abuse at the hands of someone you have a relationship with. It could be a family member, carer or someone who has third party authority such as a power of attorney.
At HSBC, we've signed up to UK Finance’s Financial Abuse Code of Practice (PDF, 123KB). This is because, we aim to support anyone who thinks they might be a victim of financial abuse, and we'll help them regain control of their finances.
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:
“My partner took out a credit card using my details and built up debt without me knowing.”
“I started to notice my cheque book was being used to pay bills that weren’t mine.”
“I didn’t have control of my debit card or access to online banking.”
UK Finance guide
For more information on how we could help, read UK Finance's guide.
Get help with financial abuse now
If you’re concerned about your situation, whether that's fraud or financial abuse or you know someone who might need our help, talk to us as soon as you can.
Request a call back
If you're experiencing domestic or financial abuse, you can request a call back from our specialist team at a time when you think you'll be free to talk.
- Fill in the form and specify a time when 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 it’s you, and support you in the best way we can.
What happens when we call
We'll call from an unknown number and start the conversation with: "Hello (your name), is now a good time to talk?"
If you say no, we'll terminate the call.
If we haven't been able to make contact with you at the safe time you've given, we won't try another time. If we haven't been able to speak to you and you'd still like to speak to us, please submit another form.
Online
Chat to us straight through the app, or log on to online banking and look for the Chat icon on the right hand side.
By phone
You can call us on 03457 404 404 to talk to us.
In a branch
All of our branches offer a private Safe Space for you to use. Find out more about our Safe Spaces.
Prefer not to speak to us directly?
If you'd prefer not to speak to us directly, there are other organisations that are good at listening or giving advice. Take a look at Other financial abuse support.
Tips to protect yourself
Cards, PINs and passwords
If you’re concerned that someone else has your card details or PIN, here are some ways to make your account more secure:
- ask us to send you a new card
- change your PIN at an ATM cash machine
- change your log on details for online banking
Receiving post from us
If it's difficult for you to receive post at your home address, you can:
- opt for online statements – find out how
- change your address so that your post goes to a trusted friend or family member instead – you’ll need to be registered for online banking, or give us a call to do this
Third party access to your account
If you’re worried about the access that a third party has to your money or the financial decisions they make on your behalf, you can remove their access. Or, you can arrange for someone else trusted to have third party access. Find out more about third party access
Joint accounts
If you need to change a joint account, you can ask us to change the way it’s set up. Both parties would have to sign for any transactions going out of the account.
This means your regular payments would still be made, but nothing else could go out of the account without your knowledge. You can also ask us to suspend the account to make sure that no transactions are made.
If you'd like to open a new account, take a look at our current accounts.
Credit cards
If you have a credit card with us, 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.
Debt
If you’re having difficulties paying your debt because of an abusive situation, get in touch with us as soon as possible on:
Lines are open 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 16:00 on Saturday. Please note, lines will not be open on public holidays.
If your financial position is making it hard to leave a difficult situation, check our guide on what benefits you could claim.
Credit report
If you’re concerned that someone has taken credit in your name, you can get a copy of your credit report online or from one of our branches.
You could get a 'notice of dissociation' from the main credit reference agencies such as Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, which will help to separate you from any joint financial arrangements. You can also register with the fraud prevention organisation Cifas, which will then be able to alert you if any credit applications are made in your name.
Other financial abuse support
If you need to talk, all of our branches offer a Safe Space.
Or, if you'd prefer not to speak to us directly, there are a number of organisations listed below that are good at listening or giving advice. They're specially trained to help with financial and domestic abuse.
