Hotel Keycard warning

tryingtogetsolvent

[FONT=&quot]HOTEL KEY CARDS
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Answer: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]a. Customer's name [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]B. Customer's partial home address [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]c. Hotel room number [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]d. Check-in date and out dates [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]e. Customer's credit card number and expiration date![/FONT]

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.

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Freddie_Snowbits

My God, I did not realise this. A hotel employee so simply could get all my details just like this.

Well, I be blowed down by a fairy.

Strange thing is though, even after stopping as establishments like this, my backn account has not been raided, nor hath my house or car. I wonder why!

C_Mababejive

Dohhh..Its an urban legend.


http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_hotel_keycards.htm

vikingaero

Most hotel key cards just have the code for opening the door between certain dates and times.

bengalknights

I worked in a hotel, i can tell you straight away none of that is true, the only thing printed on the magentic stripe is the swipe code of the door.Next time you check in to a hotel go up to your and try and remove the battery out of the lock (yes they have batterys) then you will see the door wont unlock until the card is reprogrammed with lock again.

boliston

If the customers details are already stored on the hotel's database, what advantage would there be in storing those same details on a magnetic card?

DCFC79

I think theres a funny smell going round, that is complete tosh OP, none of that info is needed on a keycard for the room, i believe you cant destroy them as they dont belong to you but the hotel only, i too have stayed in hotels and given a keycard and my account hasnt been emptied yet

can i just ask OP but how do you happen to know this information?
have you been reading too many conspiracy stories ?

System

Damn

And to think i'd just brushed the dust off my tinfoil hat...

tryingtogetsolvent

I actually received it in a circular from the Met!......:o:o:o

LittleVoice

tryingtogetsolvent wrote: »

I actually received it in a circular from the Met!......:o:o:o

And I wonder if they verified "They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal)".

I recall our Neighbourhood Watch including some urban myth or other in its newsletter to residents a while ago.

cybergibbons

tryingtogetsolvent wrote: »

I actually received it in a circular from the Met!......:o:o:o

Is this print or e-mail?