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| How You Can Protect Your Identity
Identity theft is the unauthorized use of someone else's personal information to commit fraud. Being aware of how thieves obtain people's personal information can help you protect yourself from their attempts. Knowing how they use your information once they have it illustrates just how important it is to protect yourself.
How you can protect yourself
Take the following basic steps to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud:
- Don't respond to phone calls or emails that ask you to disclose your personal information or passwords. When confronted with such requests, always call the source with the phone number you have (not one that they give you) to ensure the request is valid. Manulife Bank will never request your personal passwords or login information in an email.
- If someone asks you for personal information, ask them why they need it, how it will be used -- including with whom it will be shared -- and how it will be protected.
- If you are asked for your Social Insurance Number (SIN), unless it is required by law, provide other types of identification instead. Your SIN is an important part of your identity that must be safe-guarded.
- Only carry necessary identification in your wallet or purse. Do not carry all of your identification with you, especially your SIN.
- When creating passwords, don't use your mother's maiden name, your phone number or any other information that may be known to others.
- Choose unique passwords. One way to create a unique password is to combine the first letters of all words in a favourite song title or rhyme. So "Mary Had A Little Lamb" becomes "MHALL."
- After completing online transactions on legitimate, secure sites, always properly log-off the site and close the browser window.
- Remove mail promptly from your mailbox.
- Shred junk mail and documents that contain your personal, account or investment information.
- Annually review your credit report:
Go back to main Protect Yourself From Fraud page
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