Hotel Key Cards

Started by Lise, Jun 12 08 08:50

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Lise

A message from Orca. Scary.... I'm bringing a piece of magnet with me next time I'm booking a hotel!!

    [SPAN][FONT face="arial narrow" size=2]Not sure if hotel management is ignorant enough to do that but we do know that magnetic strip can contain many information, just read on and protect your identity. [/FONT][/SPAN]

[SPAN][FONT face="arial narrow" size=2]

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... [SPAN style="COLOR: red"]Customer's credit card number and expiration date! [/SPAN]

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: [SPAN style="COLOR: red"]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. [/SPAN]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, [SPAN style="COLOR: red"]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![/SPAN]

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: Pasadena Police Department
PLEASE FORWARD to friends and family[/FONT][/SPAN][/DIV][/DIV]
Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.
Bill Cosby.

P.C.

WOW....that's interesting information Lise.  I had no idea !  Where did this information come from ?
Sir Isaac Newton invented the swinging door....for the convenience of his cat.

Lise

You'll have to ask Ms. Orca. She forwarded it to me via email. It is quite an eye opener.
Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.
Bill Cosby.

P.C.

From Snopes.  

  This urban legend can be traced back to an e-mail that a detective from the Pasadena Police Department sent out about 5 years ago.

  [A href="vny!://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp"]vny!://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp[/A]

  Apparently it is a false urban legend.
Sir Isaac Newton invented the swinging door....for the convenience of his cat.

Sportsdude

"We can't stop here. This is bat country."

Lise

OK. I guess I'm gulliable. Nevertheless, it is interesting information. I'm still going to be cautious and it doesn't hurt to ask what goes on your hotel key card.
Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.
Bill Cosby.

P.C.

I agree Lise. .....and it never hurts to be cautious these days with so many goofs out there trying to get their hands on someones elses hard earned money. It sounded feasible to me as well.
Sir Isaac Newton invented the swinging door....for the convenience of his cat.

Sportsdude

 bwhaha you guys are hysterical. You are playing into this hoax.  
"We can't stop here. This is bat country."