One of the most troubling concerns of today's information economy is the possibility of identity theft. You can greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft by understanding how the perpetrators work and following some common-sense suggestions.
Content
- What is identity theft?
- What is “phishing”?
- Is it possible to be a victim of identity theft and not know it immediately?
- How can I avoid becoming a victim of identity theft?
- What do I do if I think I may be a victim of identity theft?
What is identity theft?
Traditionally, we think of identity theft as having a wallet or purse stolen and your credit card, driver’s licence, or other similar identification being used without your permission. In the electronic information age of today, those concerns remain, but added to them are concerns about electronic theft of key personal information such as your Social Insurance Number, banking information, and PIN or credit card numbers. Once in possession of such information, an unauthorized party could use it to obtain fraudulent credit products such as loans or credit cards or to assume other types of financial responsibility in your name.
More information:
IMPORTANT: By choosing one of these link you will be taken to another Web site where the privacy and security policies may differ from our site. The owner of that Web site is solely responsible for the products, services, and content on its Web site. Please examine the policies of their site and review all the terms of the products, services and content they provide.
Back to TopWhat is “phishing”?
Also called “carding” or “spoofing,” the practice known as “phishing” is a high-tech scam in which identity thieves pose as legitimate businesses and services and request your personal information, which they may use to assume various forms of legal or financial responsibility in your name. Most often, these requests come in the form of e-mails or pop-up screens that ask you to validate or update your personal information. E-mail scams may also carry worms or viruses that can further harm you by planting potentially damaging viruses in your computer system. They look legitimate, and they direct you to official-looking Web pages that seem to be created by or affiliated with organizations with whom you do business. Unfortunately, they’re not. Remember: legitimate companies will not send you e-mails asking for sensitive personal information. Do not reply to such e-mails or click on any links in these messages. When in doubt, contact the company directly by phone.
More information:
IMPORTANT: By choosing one of these link you will be taken to another Web site where the privacy and security policies may differ from our site. The owner of that Web site is solely responsible for the products, services, and content on its Web site. Please examine the policies of their site and review all the terms of the products, services and content they provide.
Is it possible to be a victim of identity theft and not know it immediately?
Yes. That’s why we recommend you pay very close attention to all of your credit card statements and other financial records. If a banking or credit card statement does not arrive on schedule, contact the issuer immediately. If you do become a victim, have your credit report annotated to reflect the identity theft. Do a follow-up check three months after to ensure that someone has not tried to use your identity again.
More information:
IMPORTANT: By choosing one of these link you will be taken to another Web site where the privacy and security policies may differ from our site. The owner of that Web site is solely responsible for the products, services, and content on its Web site. Please examine the policies of their site and review all the terms of the products, services and content they provide.
How can I avoid becoming a victim of identity theft?
Here are some tips that will help minimize your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft:
- Never use a public trash can to dispose of anything with important personal information on it. Identity thieves have been known to sort through trash to obtain personal information.
- Shred important documents, such as bank and credit card statements, before placing them in the trash.
- If you receive an e-mail or a pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply to the e-mail or click on any link in the message. If you have any concerns about your account, contact the business or financial institution by telephone.
- Never open an e-mail attachment unless you are absolutely sure who sent it and what is in the attachment. A safe approach is to immediately delete e-mail from unknown sources, without opening the e-mail.
- Make sure your computer is equipped with up-to-date antivirus software and the latest security patches. Some phishing e-mails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Antivirus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such malicious files.
- To better recognize legitimate e-mails from third parties, familiarize yourself with the privacy and security policies of third-party Web sites to understand how they will use your e-mail address.
- Access your credit report from a credit reporting agency once a year to ensure it's accurate and doesn't include debts or activities you haven't authorized or incurred.
- Avoid sending personal and financial information over the Internet. Before submitting personal information through a Web site, look for the padlock icon on your browser's status bar (see Figure 1). It signals that your information is secure during transmission.
Figure 1: Padlock icon on browser status bar.
Web Sites
- Bookmark trusted Internet destinations, or if you enter a Web site address directly, recheck it to ensure you have entered the correct address before providing personal information on a site.
- Be suspicious of an information-collecting Web page that is an “orphan” page. In other words, if you cannot locate a home page for the company, or the home page has an “under construction” message on it, be wary.
- Look for the presence of an “@” symbol anywhere in the page URL. This usually indicates a fraudulent Web site.
- Make sure you know the person/entity to whom you are giving information over the Internet.
- Do business only with Internet companies that use a secure form to capture private information. To verify that your session is secure, look for “https:” instead of “http:” in the URL address line, as well as the padlock icon on your browser's status bar (see Figure 1).
MBNA is committed to ensuring your personal and account information are protected, both off and on the Internet. If you suspect fraudulent activity related to your MBNA account(s), please contact us immediately by calling the toll free number on the back of your credit card or 1-800-404-1319. As a reminder:
- MBNA does not ask for personal or account information to be submitted via e-mail.
- MBNA will never transmit personal information, such as an online account password, via e-mail.
- If you call MBNA or receive a call from MBNA, please remember we will never ask you to provide us with your online account password.
What do I do if I think I may be a victim of identity theft?
If you receive a suspicious message that appears to be coming from MBNA, or discover a potentially phony MBNA Web site, please let us know by calling 1-800-404-1319 or forward the e-mail to us at:
* This e-mail address is for reporting suspicious e-mail messages or website addresses that appear to come from or represent MBNA. MBNA's computer-automated system cannot process responses containing inquires or comments, as we cannot verify the identity of the sender and e-mail is not a secure method of communication. You will not receive an e-mail response to your inquiry. Your privacy is very important to us. We would be happy to communicate with you by phone by calling the toll-free number on the back of your credit card. For your convenience, we are available 24 hours a day.
We take these incident reports seriously and work with our internal investigations team and law enforcement agencies to investigate them. If you suspect fraudulent activity related to your MBNA account(s), please contact us immediately at 1-800-404-1319.
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