Good Information to Know

[StrechM]

You know how when you check out of a hotel that uses the credit-card-type
room key, the clerk often will ask if you have your key(s) to turn in...or
there is a box or slot on the Reception counter in which to put them? It's
good for the hotel because they save money by re-using those cards. But,
it's not good for you, as revealed below.

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 the
"Double Tree" 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 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 (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

 

[vbgagnon]

Thats good to know.

 

[FastEddy]

Good info....
Just don't let your wife find key cards in your pocket from a local hotel.
This info is just as important and could cost you more then identity theft.

 

[StrechM]

I had no clue that a card key may contain my personal information or that I could not be billed for not returning one (or two or three).

Good info....
Just don't let your wife find key cards in your pocket from a local hotel.
This info is just as important and could cost you more then identity theft.

Now that's worse than a theft ring!:gulp:

 

[Tweak]

ouch. Good to know.

 

[Plaidfish]

I design some of those systems.....they are only as thorough as the owner makes them....they choose what info is emmbedded in the card when it's written.....we use the same technology for access controls on high security facilities and the stuff they put on is crazy......I can get most SE region FAA employees personal info as well...not CC numbers but pretty much everything else.....I guess the hotels use the number on the card for charges but even that is stupid to embed it....the system should be communicaing w/ a central Database and be able to cross refference any billing info w/o having it on the card itself......

 

[.30savage]

jesus that's scary.i leave cards laying around all the time....not any more

 

[StrechM]

Sounds about right Plaidfish. In most hotels I usually use my card key for meals, drinks, etc. then settle the bill at the end of my stay. It still worries me to know that it could contain a credit card number. I see borrowers that have been fraud victims. The cases are showing up more frequently now than in the past. We are discovering that many of the victims have fallen prey to very organized crime rings that have the knowledge to bilk large sums of goods and cash with very little information. District Attornies offices in most cities today have hitec crime units that deal with this sort thing continually.