December 23, 2009
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News: Stolen Laptop Compromises MBNA Accounts
Bank of America's MBNA bank in the United Kingdom reported that thousands of their credit cardholders' personal information has been compromised. The U.K.'s largest credit card issuer announced that a laptop was stolen from one of its vendors, the credit and finance firm of NCO Europe Ltd. According to the release, the laptop contained the personal information of the giant credit card company's customers. The bank did not indicate the exact number of customers that the breach will affect; however, it is a significant number. The stolen information includes the personal information of the customers, however, it is said that none of the PIN numbers were involved.
A spokesperson for the credit card company said that they learned of the theft earlier this month; however, there is no evidence that the stolen information has been used for fraudulent purposes. The bank will continue to monitor the situation and will keep track of every credit card account that was included in the breach. Furthermore, MBNA has assured all its customers that they will not be held liable if any fraudulent activity does occur resulting from the theft. The bank will be personally contacted all the customers whose accounts have been compromised and will be giving them one year of free access to CreditExpert to help them spot any suspicious activity.
The theft has been reported to the police who are conducting an investigation. Due to the ongoing investigation, the credit card company is not at liberty to discuss any further details about the theft; however, the bank maintains that the compromise was in no way related to any violation of data protection policy. Although the theft took place while in the hands of the banks contractors, ultimately, MBNA is responsible for the security and protection of all its customers' personal information. This incident is sure to place additional pressure on its mother company, Bank of America, who has already suffered huge losses in loan defaults and declining stock.