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I did not realize that hotel room keycards contained so
much information. Sounds like a good advice. I am sure I won't
leave my key card anymore. You know how when you check out of a
hotel that uses the credit-card-type room key, the clerk
often will ask you to return your key(s)...or to drop in a box or
slot at the Reception counter?
It's good for the hotel because they save money by
re-using those cards. But, it is not good for you, as revealed below
by the California Bureau of Investigation:
"Southern California law enforcement professionals
assigned to detect new threats to personal security issues, recently
discovered what type of information is embedded in the credit
card type hotel room keys used throughout the industry. Although
room keys differ from hotel to hotel, a key obtained from a wellknown hotel chain that was being used for a regional
Identity Theft Presentation was found to contain the following the
information:
a..Customers (your) name
b..Customers partial home address
c..Hotel room number
d..Check in date and check out date
e..Customer's (your)credit card number and expiry date!
When you return them at the front desk your personal
information remain there for any employee to access by simply
scanning the card in the hotel scanner. An employee can take a
handfull 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 the previous guest's information.
But until the card is reused for the next guest, it
usually is kept in a drawer 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 in at 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!
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