Information for Relatives about Financial Abuse Against People with Disabilities

General Information

What is financial abuse?

Financial abuse can take various forms, but it always involves money.

• It can be when people demand that an individual spends money.
• It can also be when people persuade an individual to spend money.

What is mate crime?

• Mate crime is when someone pretends to be a friend of an individual in order to get money from them.

A Big and Difficult Problem

Financial abuse, and especially mate crime, has much in common with Domestic Violence. The difference is that when it comes to mate crime, the goal is always to get as much money as possible from an individual. When the money is gone, so is the friendship.

It can be very difficult for relatives to deal with mate crime. Even though an individual is disabled, they have the right to make mistakes like everyone else.

However, it is possible to try to prevent too much damage.

People who commit mate crime do not advertise it and often tell their targets not to tell anyone. There are, however, signs that can be watched for.

Education

It is very important that everyone receives education about finances. This is sometimes forgotten when it comes to people with disabilities.

People with disabilities, like others, need to know what is normal in handling finances and they need to know what rights they have.

New Influential Person in Life

• The individual has suddenly gotten a new friend or joined a large group of friends. A lot of time is spent on this friendship, and these people have a significant influence on the individual.
• If the individual talks about the new friend often getting angry or sad when something did not happen. For example, if the individual did not have money to go to the cinema or go out to have fun. They do not necessarily mention that they were supposed to pay for everyone.
• If the individual shows anxiety when talking about the new friends, especially fear of losing them if they do something wrong, then it can be a sign that something is wrong.

Changes in Behavior, Appearance, and Well-being

• Behavior, appearance, and other aspects change. It can be normal if an individual changes their personality or style to fit into a new friend group. However, if the change is significant, there might be cause for concern.
• Signs of depression. If an individual stops bathing, isolates themselves from others except for the friend, or has less control over their emotions, these are clear signs that something is wrong and needs to be examined.

The Online Bank Doesn't Lie

If unpaid bills start to accumulate but the account is empty, then the money is obviously going somewhere.

Pay special attention to:

• If payments are made to companies and organizations that do not match the individual's normal usage. This also applies if there are high monthly payments to charities. People who call asking for support can be very pushy.
• If there are multiple or large transfers to other people.
• If there are monthly bills for services that the individual does not use. For example, if the individual is paying for a gym membership they do not use.
• If there are multiple bills for the same services, such as multiple monthly phone bills or multiple payments to streaming services.

Where can I get help?

What you can do for a family member who is falling victim to friend frauds or other financial abuse depends greatly on your position in the individual's life.

If the individual is over 18 years old, they are an adult with the right to privacy like everyone else.

You can still seek advice from municipal social services, social organizations, and disability rights advocacy to get information and guidance.

It is also possible to go directly to the police or a lawyer.

The most important thing is to try to prevent this from happening again.

If the individual believes they cannot control this in the future, it is possible to appoint a guardian who has oversight over the individual's assets and money.

The individual needs to understand and want what it entails to have a guardian.

Appointing a guardian or taking away an individual's financial autonomy is always a last resort.