RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

Financial or material abuse

This includes:

• theft of money or possessions
• fraud, scamming
• preventing a person from accessing their own money, benefits or assets
• employees taking a loan from a person using the service
• undue pressure, duress, threat or undue influence put on the person in connection with loans, wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions
• arranging less care than is needed to save money to maximise inheritance
• denying assistance to manage/monitor financial affairs
• denying assistance to access benefits
• misuse of personal allowance in a care home
• misuse of benefits or direct payments in a family home
• someone moving into a person’s home and living rent free without agreement or under duress
• false representation, using another person’s bank account, cards or documents
• exploitation of a person’s money or assets, e.g. unauthorised use of a car
• misuse of a power of attorney, deputy, appointeeship or other legal authority
• rogue trading, e.g. unnecessary or overpriced property repairs and failure to carry out agreed repairs or poor workmanship.

Signs and indicators include:

• missing personal possessions
• unexplained lack of money or inability to maintain lifestyle
• unexplained withdrawal of funds from accounts
• power of attorney or lasting power of attorney (LPA) being obtained after the person has ceased to have mental capacity
• failure to register an LPA after the person has ceased to have mental capacity to manage their finances, so that it appears that they are continuing to do so
• the person allocated to manage financial affairs is evasive or uncooperative
• the family or others show unusual interest in the assets of the person
• signs of financial hardship in cases where the person’s financial affairs are being managed by a court appointed deputy, attorney or LPA
• recent changes in deeds or title to property
• rent arrears and eviction notices
• a lack of clear financial accounts held by a care home or service
• failure to provide receipts for shopping or other financial transactions carried out on behalf of the person
• disparity between the person’s living conditions and their financial resources, e.g. insufficient food in the house
• unnecessary property repairs.