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Jokes Jokes Random Funny Stuff Identity Theft Alert: HOTEL KEYS
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 Californ ia 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 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 com puter
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
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Identity Theft Alert: HOTEL KEYS
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