Ever wonder what is on your magnetic hotel key card

From: Myra J.

Sent: May 22, 2012

To: undisclosed recipients

Subject: Fw: Ever wonder what is on your magnetic hotel key card

This is good to know.  I will definitely do it.  I will use the magnet on my cell phone cover.

Something to think about.....Please read and share... Myra

Grab a refrigerator magnet on your way out the door, we all have tons of them!

Always take a small magnet on your vacation, they come in handy at the end of it.
This is pretty good info. Never even thought about key cards containing anything
other than an access code for the room!

HOTEL KEY CARDS

Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?
Answer:
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 reissues 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 into 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!

If you have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then try it in the door, it will not work. It erases everything on the card.
Information courtesy of: Metropolitan Police Service.

PLEASE FORWARD to friends and family .