Post by fob on Sept 26, 2006 6:47:05 GMT -5
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 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 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 t he 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
SEND TO ANYONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP - WE'RE IN THE
TRAVEL SEASON
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 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 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 t he 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
SEND TO ANYONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP - WE'RE IN THE
TRAVEL SEASON