[Nfbf-l] Hotel Room Keys Are A Security Leak

[Mark Tardif]

Yes, this is good information.  I always thought that hotel employees threw 
away or at least inactivated those security cards immediately upon your 
leaving, and I do remember on one occasion that I was locked out of a hotel 
room because my card deactivated at a certain time.  But obviously that 
doesn't solve the entire problem.  Thank you.

Mark Tardif
Welcome to my planet
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kirk" <kvharmon54 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 10:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Hotel Room Keys Are A Security Leak


> Dwight, thanks for giving us this infrrmation! I know many of us travvel
> about and don't realize how easy it is to leave ourselves vulnerable to
> anyone that wishes to take advantage of us! KH
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <MisterAdvocate at aol.com>
> To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>; <nfbf-leaders at yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 9:33 AM
> Subject: [Nfbf-l] Hotel Room Keys Are A Security Leak
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> Subject: FW:  Good info..
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> Always  take a small magnet on your holiday, it'll  come in handy at the
> end of it!!
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> This is  good info. Never thought about key cards  containing anything
> other than an access code  for the room!  Read  on......
>
> HOTEL KEY  CARDS
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> Know  what's 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!
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> When you  return it 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.
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> 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.
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> 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!
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> 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 card scanning/reader device  ..
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> For the  same reason, if you arrive at the airport and  discover you still
> have the card key in your  pocket, don't toss it in an airport bin; take 
> it
> home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially  through the electronic
> information  strip!
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> Alternatively  if you have a small magnet, pass it across the  magnetic
> strip several times when you leave your  room for the last time before
> checking
> out; now try it in the door, it should  not work. It erases everything on
> the  card.
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> Information  courtesy of:  Metropolitan Police  Service.
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> PLEASE  FORWARD to friends and  family
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