What is Financial Abuse?
Scottish Women’s Rights Centre helps us to better understand financial abuse (also known as 'economic abuse');
"Economic abuse happens when a person interferes with their partner’s ability to acquire, use and maintain economic resources. It can include the restriction, exploitation or sabotage of a person’s housing, food, clothing, transportation, employment, and education.
Economic abuse can take many forms including: retaining the victim’s salary or giving [them] an ‘allowance’, forbidding [them] from accessing work or education, restricting access to [their] private and shared bank accounts, and convincing or forcing [them] to take on debt on behalf of the abuser, among many others. Economic abuse is a harmful form of coercive control that seeks to control and isolate victims economically, making it harder to leave the abusive situation and to be financially independent after separation."
The Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Scotland can also provide support and guidance on Financial Abuse.
What is Romance Fraud?
Romance fraud is when a criminal lures you into a fake relationship before convincing you to send them money, or gathering enough personal information to steal your identity.
Contact almost always starts online – via dating websites, social media, chatrooms, or even chat-enabled games. Fraudsters tend to push for an emotional connection quickly, though they may groom victims for many months or even years.
Support can be found here Online romance fraud - Police Scotland
What is Sextortion?
Sextortion usually involves people being lured into taking off some or all of their clothes in front of their webcam, only to be told that they have been recorded and that the video will be posted online and/or shown to the victim's contacts unless a fee is paid. It usually starts with becoming engaged in a text based conversation in a chat room with stranger. Anyone, at any age and anywhere, can become a victim. Police Scotland have issued a reminder to be extremely cautious and alert to the dangers of webcam use. Advice includes being wary about who you invite or accept invitations from on social networking sites. Users are advised not to accept friendship requests from complete strangers, irrespective of ‘mutual friend’ status. Update the privacy settings on your social networking accounts so only people you know can view them. Do not include any sensitive, private or confidential information in profiles. If you do become a victim, Police Scotland advise that you should not pay or communicate further with the perpetrator. Report the incident to the relevant social networking site, and keep all evidence of the communications you have had (taking screenshots if you can). Report the incident to the Police by calling 101.
--> More information about Sextortion can be found in Report & Support, under the category 'Digital Safety & Online Harm'.
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