I did not know this,
quite scary (received from my mate
Ernie Hartley - Canada):This is
pretty good info. Never even thought
about key cards containing anything
other than an access code for the room!
HOTEL KEY CARDS
Ever wonder what is on your magnetic
key card?
Answer:
a. Customer's name
B. Customer's partial home address
c. Hotel room number
d. Check-in date and out dates
e. Customer's credit card number and
expiration date!
When you turn them in to the front
desk your personal information is
there for any employee to access by
simply scanning the card in the
hotel scanner. An employee can take
a hand full of cards home and using
a scanning device, access the
information onto a laptop computer
and go shopping at your expense.
Simply put, hotels do not erase the
information on these cards until
an employee reissues the card to
the next hotel guest. At that time,
the new guest's information is
electronically 'overwritten' on the
card and the previous guest's
information is erased in the
overwriting process.
But until the card is rewritten for
the next guest, it usually is kept
in a drawer at the front desk with
YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!
The bottom line is: Keep the cards,
take them home with you, or destroy
them. NEVER leave them behind in the
room or room wastebasket, and NEVER
turn them into the front desk when
you check out of a room.
They will not charge you for the
card (it's illegal) and you'll be
sure you are not leaving a lot of
valuable personal information on it
that could be easily lifted off with
any simple scanning device card
reader.
For the same reason, if you arrive
at the airport and discover
you still have the card key in your
pocket, do not toss it in an airport
trash basket.. Take it home and
destroy it by cutting it up,
especially through the electronic
information strip!
If you have a small magnet, pass it
across the magnetic strip several
times. Then try it in the door, it
will not work. It erases everything
on the card.
Information courtesy of:
Metropolitan Police Service.
PLEASE FORWARD to friends and family