Hi Bob -
I actually work with these systems in my business and what this email says
is false. If you stay in any decent international or national hotel chain,
they would never bother putting this information on your card, it is too
much hassle to put it on the card, it serves no purpose, and all information
on these cards (esp. newer systems made in the last 15 years or so) are
encrypted anyway.
Here's what snopes has to say about it:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp
Thanks for thinking of us though, I appreciate the concern.
Best Regards,
Alan
On 9/20/06, rhss@neo.rr.com <rhss@neo.rr.com> wrote:
>
> Subject: - Hotel Key Safety
>
>
> Hotel/Motel Key Cards
>
> Ever wonder what is on your key card?
>
>
> 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!
>
> 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
> (its 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: Warren Police Department.
>
> Bob Sturdevant
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