What about online accounts?
Your partner might try to monitor your emails, website visits, online bank accounts, social media, or telephone calls.
If you and your partner share an email account, you should set up your own account.
If you have your own email account but your partner knows your password, you should change it when it is safe.
Keep your password private. Do not use passwords that your partner knows or can figure out. For example, do not use your children’s names, the name of your pet, children’s birthdates, or other words or numbers that your partner knows.
You can also think about setting up a two-step verification process. This means you are asked to answer a security question or enter a code that is texted to your phone before you can access your email or bank account.
If you are worried that your partner will try to harass you by email, keep your old email address for them to use and use your new email address for everything else. This way, you can also control how often you look at emails from them.
Important: Email, text, and social media messages and posts are not private. If you send messages to your partner that are angry or insulting, your partner can use them in family court.
Luke’s Place tells you how to stay safe online or on your phone. See lukesplace.ca/resources/keep-safe-online.
Phone and mail
You might also want to change your cell phone number so your partner cannot call and harass you. Or you can block their number.
You can have your mail forwarded to a different address by going to any post office. Or you can do this online at canadapost.ca. There is a fee for this service. Make sure to tell Canada Post not to send a notice to the address you shared with your partner.
You should also tell your banks, Canada Revenue Agency, and other important services and businesses if you move.
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