M13KYF Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 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 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Quite interesting. Do you think someone working for 'hotel keycard company international' issued that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickya Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Used to be on older swipe card systems which a lot of hotels may still use, but newer ones not so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Very interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl114 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Interesting info there! Makes me think twice about giving back the cards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GC350z Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I never give them back. I never remember. Isn't this a repost? Read it some where recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinbad Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I never give them back, i lost both keys in birmingham on our ****-up :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Do you start to think its only a matter of time before someone misuses your identity Watching something on the box the other night about now hackers get info off personal computers watching the keystrokes etc it almost makes you wish we were weren't in this techno age trying to keep things secure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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