[Sovkiller]

For all those who travel frequently, and for future national or international meetings, be aware of this:


HOTEL KEY CARDS

From 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 well known hotel chain that was being used for a regional Identity Theft Presentation was found to contain the follow

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 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 handfuls 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 in to 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

 

[grawk]

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller For all those who travel frequently, and for future national or international meetings, be aware of this: HOTEL KEY CARDS From 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 well known hotel chain that was being used for a regional Identity Theft Presentation was found to contain the follow 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 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 handfuls 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 in to 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

 

[kramer5150]

Yeah... I never return those. Shred them up like an expired credit card.

 

[Sovkiller]

I received that email in my ofice today, but it seems to be another internet joke, so please any mod delete it, it is a waste of space...

 

[mb3k]

Hmm, I always didn't know what the right thing to do was... I usually gave the key's back in fear that they would charge me for keeping the key card.
How is it illegal for them to charge you for the card?

 

[slick]

I will have to look into this. My parents have a small hotel (3 Story, 60 room). I am working there right now. Our key card machine is NOT even connected to our computers. The only info on the card itself is the room number, and the number of nights the key should remain valid, thats it.
I noticed that there are hotels that have these key card machines attached to there computers, so I don't doubt that your personal information can be stored on the key card itself, but I do not see the reasoning behind the key storing your credit card number and address and such, thats just plain stupid.

In any case, we get our key cards cheap, like $0.05 each cheap, and we know that a lot of people take them, its not a big deal, I wouldn't feel bad about taking one.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Wait, you guys are talking about those key card things that you slip into the "lock" of your doors to gain access to your room?

If so...how is it illegal to charge you if you don't return them? So you're saying that it's not illegal to just bend the card in two and toss it in the trash can on your way to check out? Iirc, many hotels ask for it as you check out at the front desk.

 

[plainsong]

I think I smell an urban legend. That link is worth clicking.

 

[MASantos]

[size=large]This is not true![/size]

I am senior hotel managment student and have worked/trained in many different hotels in Portugal and England. I have worked with two of the largest(read: more used throughout the world) key card systems and with the computer systems that operate them.

The information which is stored in the Card is the guest's name, room number and check in/check out dates. The cards/computer program also keeps a record each time the card was used saving the date, time and which door was opened( this is normally for internal security reasons).

No credit card information or adress is stored in this card.

As a side note, this kind of information is stored in the front office managment program along with the guest's reservation details, special requests. Some hotels/hotel companies also use CRM(customer relationship managment) systems which store all kind of shopping/consuming trends of the guest in the hotel. One could develop this subject much more, but since it is not on topic I will not do it here.

 

[bLue_oNioN]

Some hotel chains will charge you if you do not return your key card.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller I received that email in my ofice today, but it seems to be another internet joke, so please any mod delete it, it is a waste of space...

sheesh dude, do you believe everything that's sent to you in an email? Hope you haven't sent out your banking info to some dude in Nigeria yet.