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What are the signs of financial exploitation?

Financial exploitation is not easy to detect. Victims often deny or hide the fact that they have been exploited for fear of being punished by the person exploiting them. It usually consists of a series of events over an extended period of time.

The following examples may be signs of financial exploitation:

• Someone pressures you to make financial decisions against your will.
• Someone is improperly uses the power of attorney you have given him or her (e.g., to make unusual or inexplicable cash withdrawals, to restrict your access to your own passbook or transaction statement).
• Someone withholds or cashes your pension or assistance cheques without your authorization.
• The person in charge of your finances deprives you of money for basic needs such as food and clothing, no longer responds to your requests for information and tries to isolate you.
• You are paying an excessive amount for rent or in exchange for small errands run by those close to you.
• Someone forces you to change your will or sell your home.

What can you do if you witness or are a victim of financial exploitation?
How to avoid financial exploitation.