ROCHESTER, N.Y. — October is Domestic Violence Prevention Month. And the focus of this consumer alert is the epidemic of domestic violence in Rochester. All too often domestic abuse also involves financial abuse. If you really want to control someone, you control the purse strings. And according to research, 99% of abuse cases involve financial abuse.

So, News10NBC’s Deanna Dewberry sat down with Kelli Owens, Executive Director of the New York State Office of Domestic Violence Prevention.

Kelli Owens, NYSODVP: “If you can control someone’s ability to afford to get away, that really keeps you in that situation. So often, we see it in regard to banking and passcodes; we see it in regard to somebody taking somebody’s check away from them. And it becomes their check, and they monitor their budget and they monitor their spending and really trying to figure out how somebody might be trying to get away using their own financial resources.”

Deanna Dewberry, News10NBC: “What are the things that friends and family should look for as signs of financial abuse?

Owens: “First and foremost, if you feel as though your family member is isolating from you, that might be a sign. If somebody says I can’t do that because I haven’t gotten permission to spend that money, that might be a conversation that you have with your family member or your loved one to say, what does that mean?”

Dewberry: “How about financial institutions? Do they have a responsibility in recognizing financial abuse?

Owens: OPDV (Office of Prevention of Domestic Violence), our state office, is working with the Department of Financial Services to really give those survivors the tools they need to identify if this is an abusive situation.”

If you or someone you know is a victim of financial abuse, state leaders want you to know there is help for you. The 24-hour helpline for Willow Domestic Violence Center of Rochester is 585-222-safe (7233) You can also text the helpline. There, you can formulate a plan and also learn about a grant for survivors trying to escape domestic violence.

Those grants can help you with everything from rent to a car payment.