Sharp rise in domestic abusers using finances for coercion, UK charities say

Between April 2025 and March 2026, there were 967 referrals to Refuge’s specialist unit – up from 542 the previous year. Photograph: Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty

Domestic abuse charities have reported a “staggering” increase in perpetrators using technology and finances to control their victims, with a “concerning” rise in people being coerced into car finance agreements.

Data from Refuge, the UK’s largest specialist domestic abuse charity, reveals a 78% rise in referrals for cases of technology-facilitated or economic abuse in the past year.