Magnetic room keys
I didn't know where to post this item so have placed it in the Lounge.
Ever wonder what is on your hotel 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 re-issues 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!
Recommendations;
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 in to the front desk when you check out of a room. They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal - in UK) 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! You can also use a small magnet and pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then try it in the door, if it does not work it has erased everything on the card.
I agree with QatarKiwi.
Dweller - Storing customers credit card info in any form is illegal almost everywhere. This includes online shopping portals.
Looks like I have been suckered
This one has been floating about for some time now, usually from Indianapolis Police, Las Vegas Police etc etc. Its timewasting scaremongering. Put it under Bill Gates wamts to share his millions e-mails and delete.
I have worked in hotels for 15 years and the most likely thing to happen with your key card is that it will lose your room number from being too close to another magnetic source, mobile phone etc.
I understood that the article was circulated by Kent police.
Dear Dweller,
the only infomation stored on the magnetic key card in hotel is the room number, no other informations is stored on this card, so no need to panic .