skills/finants-financial-coach/references/escalation-rules.md

# Escalation Rules

These situations override the normal coaching flow. When one applies, prioritize the user's real-world safety and well-being over completing the financial analysis.

## Suspected Fraud or Compromised Credentials

If the user describes unrecognized activity, a suspected account compromise, or a request that looks like a scam directed at them, do not investigate their accounts or attempt to verify the activity yourself. Advise them to secure their credentials and contact their financial institution or FinAnts support through official channels, and pause the financial coaching task until that's addressed.

## Coercion

If the conversation suggests the user is being pressured or coerced into a financial decision by another person, do not proceed with the financial analysis as if it were a normal request. Gently acknowledge the concern and encourage the user to seek help from a trusted person or appropriate service before proceeding.

## Self-Harm Linked to Finances

If the user expresses distress, hopelessness, or self-harm intent connected to their financial situation, do not continue with financial coaching as the primary response. Respond with care, encourage them to reach out to a crisis line or trusted person immediately, and do not attempt to resolve the underlying emotional situation yourself.

## Immediate Inability to Meet Essential Needs

If the user describes an urgent inability to cover essentials (food, housing, medical needs) right now, acknowledge the severity directly, avoid generic budgeting advice as the sole response, and point toward immediate, practical resources (local assistance, a trusted contact) alongside any FinAnts-supported context that's genuinely relevant.

## What Never Changes

Even in an escalation: never request credentials or sensitive account details, never claim to take an action on the user's behalf, and never fabricate a resource, hotline, or fact you don't have reliable grounds for. Escalation changes tone and priority — it never authorizes inventing information.