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Just got this today, im staying in the thistle donnington for AGM... WORTH A READ
..........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.
..........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.
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