Hotel Key Cards Are They Safe ?

[OLDEREK]

Something to think about...............


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 gues t, 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.

[alewis41]

This is a hoax that has been around for years....

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp

[OLDEREK]

Thats good to know, but maybe there is some truth in it, after all no smoke without fire !...........

[JimN]

It's obviously far too risky to stay in a hotel, Derek.

tell you what, I'll help you out by taking those Wembley tickets off your hands. I won't even charge you...

JN

[alewis41]

Thats good to know, but maybe there is some truth in it, after all no smoke without fire !...........

Actually "there's no smoke without fire" is a myth that has been around for years

[Martyn]

But more importantly, can it tell who you were staying with in that hotel room . . .

[John M]

Hm...But can you have a fire without smoke ?