Financial Abuse Resources: Hotlines, Legal Help and Money Support

This page lists free and low-cost places to get help with financial abuse, from 24-hour hotlines to legal aid, credit help and New York programs. You can use any of them whether you're staying, planning to leave, have already left or are helping someone you love.

1. Crisis lines and hotlines

A hotline is a good first call even if you aren't sure that what's happening counts as abuse. Advocates can talk through money worries as well as safety. They can also help you make a safety plan, which is a personal plan for staying as safe as you can.

2. Help for older adults

Financial abuse of older adults often comes from a relative, caregiver or someone else they trust, such as a grandchild who uses a grandparent's debit card. Adult Protective Services (APS) is the state agency that looks into abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities.

NAPSA, the national APS association, doesn't handle cases itself, so contact APS in the state where the older adult lives. The Elder Fraud Hotline also warns that scammers are posing as its staff. The real hotline won't threaten to sue you or ask you to send money.

If you manage money for an older relative, our guide to power of attorney explains what that role allows.

3. Money, credit and identity help

One common money problem after abuse is coerced debt, which is debt someone takes out in your name by force, pressure or fraud.

For example, Tomás checked his credit report after his partner moved out and found a credit card he never opened. He reported it at IdentityTheft.gov, froze his credit at all three bureaus and disputed the account. Our credit score guide explains how reports and disputes work.

A credit freeze blocks new lenders from seeing your credit report, which makes it hard for anyone to open new accounts in your name. You place it with each bureau separately, and you can lift it for a short time when you apply for credit yourself.

The Independence Program, formerly the Independence Project, starts with a $100 loan. To get it, you meet with a domestic violence advocate at least three times and share a monthly budget. The $500 and $1,000 loans are for people who have finished the first one. NNEDV reports each payment to the three credit bureaus. As of November 2026, the loans aren't available to residents of Mississippi, Oklahoma or Ohio.

The Safe Connections Act is a 2022 federal law, and the FCC expected carriers to follow its line-separation rules by the third quarter of 2024. Survivors facing financial hardship can also get help through the FCC's Lifeline phone discount program. Your carrier handles the separation, so contact it from a safe device.

If you're thinking about bankruptcy or debt relief, our guides to debt help and bankruptcy explain the options.

4. Free and low-cost legal help

Legal aid groups give free legal help to people with low incomes, including with orders of protection, divorce, custody and debts that were forced on you. Talk with a legal advocate before you move joint money or close shared accounts, since that can affect a divorce or custody case.

Legal rules differ from state to state, so local legal aid is the best place to ask about your own case. If you're married, our guide to money and debt during divorce covers how debts and accounts are split.

5. Housing, food and other basic needs

Money control often leaves survivors without savings, and these programs can help you cover basics like rent and food while you plan.

VAWA is the Violence Against Women Act, a federal law whose housing protections cover all survivors, whatever their gender.

6. If you live in New York

New York has its own 24-hour hotline and several statewide programs, and New York City adds walk-in centers in all five boroughs.

Statewide help in New York

An order of protection is a court order that tells someone to stay away from you or stop certain behavior. In Family Court, a judge can give you a temporary order at your first appearance, and it lasts until your next court date. A domestic violence advocate can help you file.

If you apply for unemployment and sharing your street address could put you at risk, the NY Department of Labor can accept a P.O. box.

New York City help

Kenji in Queens, for example, could walk into a Family Justice Center on a weekday afternoon without an appointment. In one visit, he could ask about safety planning, legal advice and credit coaching.

7. How to use these resources safely

Someone who is abusive may watch your phone, computer, mail or bank accounts. No step makes you undetectable, but these can lower the chance they find out you're looking for help, and an advocate can help you decide which make sense for you.

• Use a safe device, such as a friend's phone, a work computer you trust or a library computer.
• Watch your browsing history. Private or incognito windows don't save history on that device, but they don't hide activity from spyware or a shared router. Deleting all your history at once can also look unusual.
• Check shared accounts and passwords. Someone who knows your email, phone or cloud passwords may see what you send and search. Changing passwords suddenly can alert them, so plan it with an advocate.
• Check location sharing and banking apps. Phones, cars and apps can share your location, and banking apps can send alerts to a shared device or email.
• Think about mail and paperless statements. Statements sent to a shared address or email can reveal a new account, so use an email address only you can open.

The FCC's rules ask phone carriers to keep calls and texts to domestic violence hotlines off the call logs you see on your bill. Those rules don't cover every record or device, so a safe phone is still the better choice. How to Build a Financial Safety Plan covers next steps, and our guide to checking accounts explains how to open an account of your own.

Common mistakes when reaching out for help

• Waiting until you're sure it's abuse. You can call a hotline just to talk it through, and our guide to the signs of financial abuse can help you sort out what you're seeing.
• Searching on a shared device. If you can't use a safe device, keep your search short, and remember that the Quick exit button leaves this page but doesn't erase your browsing history.
• Giving up after one call. If a program isn't the right fit, ask them for another referral, since programs often know others nearby.
• Moving joint money before getting legal advice. Taking large sums from shared accounts can affect your safety and a later court case, so talk with a legal advocate first.
• Paying for "credit repair" or recovery help. You can dispute errors, freeze your credit and report identity theft yourself for free.
• Giving your new address to people who don't need it. If you've moved, ask about the Address Confidentiality Program in New York or a similar program in your state.

Frequently asked questions

Are these services free?

Every hotline on this page is free. So are legal aid, Family Justice Centers, 211, credit freezes and IdentityTheft.gov. Nonprofit credit counselors may charge a small fee for a debt management plan, so ask about costs before you sign up.

Will they call the police?

Calling a hotline doesn't file a police report, and in most cases whether to involve the police is your decision. Some situations can change that, such as a threat to someone's life or the abuse of a child, and the rules depend on the program and your state, so you can ask the advocate about confidentiality at the start of the call. Trans Lifeline, for example, says it won't call emergency services without your clear request, though it may report credible threats of violence to others and follows child abuse reporting laws.

Can I get help without leaving?

Yes. Advocates help people who are staying, planning to leave or have come back, and all of those choices are common. Our guide on how to find help for financial abuse explains what to expect when you reach out.

Can I call for someone else?

Yes. Hotlines also support friends and family who are worried about someone. For an older adult, you can call the Elder Fraud Hotline or contact Adult Protective Services in the state where they live.

What if I don't speak English?

The National Domestic Violence Hotline has advocates who speak over 200 languages. The 988 Lifeline has Spanish support when you press 2, Safe Horizon and the Elder Fraud Hotline offer Spanish, and the NY State hotline offers support in most languages.

The bottom line

You don't have to sort out financial abuse alone, and you don't need to have every answer before you reach out. A hotline advocate can help you plan for safety, and the other resources here can help with money, legal and housing needs. When you're ready, Leaving a Financially Abusive Relationship and Rebuilding Your Finances walks through rebuilding your credit and savings.

Related reading: Financial Abuse: How to Recognize the Signs · How to Build a Financial Safety Plan · How to Find Help for Financial Abuse · Building an emergency fund

Sources and further learning

• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• love is respect
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Get help
• 988 Lifeline: Frequently asked questions
• RAINN: National Sexual Assault Hotline
• StrongHearts Native Helpline
• Trans Lifeline: Hotline
• The Deaf Hotline
• Office for Victims of Crime: National Elder Fraud Hotline
• Eldercare Locator
• NAPSA: Adult Protective Services in your area
• CFPB: Submit a complaint
• IdentityTheft.gov
• FTC: What to know about credit freezes and fraud alerts
• FTC: Free credit reports
• AnnualCreditReport.com
• Equifax: Credit freeze
• Experian: Credit freeze
• TransUnion: Credit freeze
• National Foundation for Credit Counseling
• NNEDV: Independence Program
• The Allstate Foundation: Relationship abuse
• Moving Ahead financial empowerment course
• FCC: Rules implementing the Safe Connections Act (November 2023)
• LawHelp.org
• WomensLaw.org
• Legal Services Corporation: I need legal help
• ABA Free Legal Answers
• 211.org
• HUD: Violence Against Women Act housing protections
• USDA: SNAP state directory
• NY Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
• NY Office of Victim Services
• NY Department of State: Address Confidentiality Program
• NY Courts: Filing a family offense petition
• LawHelpNY
• NY Department of Labor: Unemployment insurance and domestic violence
• Safe Horizon
• NYC Family Justice Centers
• NYC Family Justice Centers fact sheet (2025)
• NYC 311
• NYC Human Resources Administration: Adult Protective Services

Convivial Wealth education guide · General education for U.S. readers, not legal advice. If you're in danger, call 911. Resources and numbers are checked each year.

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