Financial abuse support

Support for members who are at risk of or are experiencing financial abuse.

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About Quick Exit

Clicking on the quick exit banner or pressing the Esc key closes the page and opens bom.gov.au to help keep you safe. Using the quick exit does not delete your browser history. This means that someone could still look at your browser history. You can manually delete your history via your browser options.

Protect yourself or someone you love

What is financial abuse?

Financial abuse is when someone obtains an unlawful or unauthorised benefit from the money or assets of a vulnerable person. People can be vulnerable due to factors including their age, health or as a result of dependence on or trust in another person.

Financial abuse harms or has the potential to harm the vulnerable person or benefits the person committing the abuse. For example, someone experiencing family or domestic violence may have their access to financial resources restricted.

Financial abuse can happen to anyone and is not purely a risk that comes with age. It can occur within families, friendships or any other type of relationship.

What are the warning signs of financial abuse?

It can be difficult to identify financial abuse, particularly in close relationships. Here are some signs that you may be at risk:

  • Someone else is controlling your bank accounts or access to money in general.
  • You are feeling pressured to give money to someone else.
  • Someone is selling or threatening to sell your property or possessions without your knowledge or consent.
  • Someone is unreasonably relying on you to cover all of their living expenses.
  • Bills have not been paid when you entrusted someone else to pay them.
  • Someone is hiding money from you or may be making you feel as though you cannot manage money by yourself.
  • You notice that valuable items have gone missing from your home.
  • You are being pressured to change your will.

What can I do reduce the risk of financial abuse?

If you suspect you or someone you know is at risk of financial abuse, there are a number of things you can do including:

  • Keeping up to date with your finances by regularly reviewing your statements and transaction history.
  • Storing your debit and credit cards securely.
  • Not sharing your PIN or internet banking/mobile banking passwords with anyone.

What if I have a ‘signatory’ on my account?

We understand that having signatories on your accounts, such as an authority to operate or a power of attorney, can be a great help to you. However, it’s important that your signatories act in your best interests. It’s only in limited circumstances that a signatory can benefit themselves with your money.

From time to time, we may ask questions or request that a signatory provide documentation (such as invoices or bills) to help us understand what a payment may be for. We do this routinely to help protect our members from financial harm.

Got a question on Financial Abuse?

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Our friendly branch staff are looking forward to helping you achieve your financial goals.

Important Information

This information has been prepared by IMB Bank for general information and reference and it is not intended to be advice. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should seek your own legal, accounting, financial or other professional advice when appropriate, and consider the relevant Terms and Conditions or Product Disclosure Statement before deciding whether to acquire any products or services offered by IMB Bank. We do not recommend any third party products or services referred to in this article and we are not liable in relation to them. Any links to third party websites are for your information and we do not endorse any content on those sites. IMB Ltd trading as IMB Bank. ABN 92 087 651 974 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 237