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Storytime BearsSubject:Hotel Room Key Cards
Here's something to think about....
Ever wonder what is on your hotel room 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 into 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!
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!
(Information courtesy of Pasadena Police Department)
You can also carry along a small magnet and pass it acrossthe magnetic strip several times, then try it in the door. It will not work. It erases everything on the card.
PLEASE FORWARD to friends and family.
Newcastle, OntarioJodi,
Thanks sooo much for that information - it is really interesting, I think I will just invest in a magnet to carry when I'm on holiday specifically to wipe the key clean before I hand it in. It's easy to check before you hand in the key card, to make sure it's erased! A simple, simple, simple way to make sure we are protected. I also did not know it was illegal to charge a customer if they do not return a key card. I will definitely share your post with my daughter and some of my friends.
hugs,
Brend
Waggle BearsThanks for the information. I had no idea a card key held so much personal information...I thought it just had the room number...and we've always turned them in...won't any more.
Posts: 3,540Just be sure the magnet that you use to swipe the card clean does not get near any other important other credit cards....it will wipe those clean too! 
Thank you so much for this info :hug: Hubby and I brought our room keys home from Disneyworld, but that was more as a souvenir thing. I didn't realize all that info was kept on the card! 
MerBear OriginalsBefore you panic please check this out http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp
This is a myth!
Marion
Flying Fur StudiosWell, problems with hotel cards are the least of our worries. The best thing you can do is just watch your bills every month.
I say this because I used to work in customer service for a cell phone company. Now, when you go into a contract for a cell phone, we have ALL your info. So everytime someone called, I would see their SIN # ( Social security) mothers maiden name, birthday, drivers licence #, credit card info with exp. date and address. Definitely enough information to steal someones identity. There were HUNDREDS of us employees that have access to your info anytime we want.
I think you would be shocked to see who has that kind of info and how many employees can easily access that information. So I just carefully watch my bills every month in case something does happen.
Storytime BearsIn the snopes myth buster thing it says the newer hotels have better equipment that do not code with the information, but does that mean the older machines did encode stuff?
I think I will play it safe and do what Brenda says , get a magnet and just swipe it before I hand it in. When my sister in law sent me this info I was worried because I sometimes leave the extra card key on the dresser in the room.
Thanks so much for posting the snopes thing, I feel a lot safer
Posts: 280This is an interesting topic, especially since my husband just found a charge on his American Express account for almost $300 for a hotel room right here in town! It was called in, not swiped. That means that someone that he handed his card to when he made a purchase kept the card number and expiration date, which was all they needed to use it by phone.
It is now a disputed charge, but it's frightening to realize that a store you shop in has employees that would do that to their customers. We still haven't figured out just where he was when they got the number, but suspect it might have been a restaurant, as that is the only place they actually take your card and go to swipe it before returning it to you. Everywhere else, they have machines where you actually swipe the card yourself.
Luann
Bears by Jodi Storytime BearsYou know I never even though about that they do take your card, they are going to have to come up with a portable card swiping (sp?) machine so you can do it at the table. What makes a person think that it is OK to do that.
