Safeguarding Adults Week 2021 – Financial Abuse

As part of Safeguarding Adults Week 2021, the Ann Craft Trust aim to cover a number of topics and one of those is adult grooming.

The Ann Craft Trust highlight some of the signs of grooming you should look out for:

• The person becomes withdrawn, or they may seem troubled by something but unwilling to talk about it. Alternatively, their emotions might become more volatile.
• You notice them using or wearing something new, that you didn’t buy for them.
• Groomers often aim to isolate their targets from their family or friends. If they seem reluctant to see you, or they refuse a visit, it might be because someone’s manipulating them.
• You notice that sums of money have disappeared from the person’s bank account, or the person claims they cannot pay for food or bills.
• The person might be spending more time on the phone, or online, than usual. But they won’t say what sites they’re visiting, or who they’re talking to.
• They start talking about a new “friend”, “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”, and it’s not clear who they are or how they met them.

In cases where the vulnerable adult no longer has the requisite mental capacity to manage their financial affairs, our Court of Protection team can step in to manage their financial affairs under a Deputyship.

Our team are often faced with clients who have been referred by the Court of Protection following concerns of financial abuse raised by family members and/or the Office of the Public Guardian. Following on from the referral, we work to safeguard vulnerable adults to avoid financial abuse re-occurring in the future.

Where client’s come to us following concerns, we will investigate concerns and where necessary, report any suspicious financial activity to the police or trading standards.

If you are concerned that a loved one is being financially abused or you would like further information about Deputyships, please contact our Court of Protection team on 0344 3260049 to discuss how we can help.