Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Sir Popple on 16 March 2010, 13:00:00
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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. ( So I am told :question)
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Seems to me like very sound advice Sir Topple! :y :y :y
I must say I have tended to hand them in to the hotel reception when leaving, but this has made me think of the implications of doing that! ::) ::) ::) :P
8-) 8-) 8-) ;) ;)
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Last time I stayed in a hotel I payed in shillings ;D ;D It was more like Fawlty Towers then a hotel though.
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I'd be very surprised if a key card stores any more than a code recognised by the door lock, TBH.
Sounds like an urban legend to me.
Kevin
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I'd be very surprised if a key card stores any more than a code recognised by the door lock, TBH.
Sounds like an urban legend to me.
Kevin
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/hotel-key-card.html
;)
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ive still got the mastercards for 2 of the top hotels in london. never gave them back when we finished the job there. anyone wanna buy them ;)
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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. ( So I am told :question)
if you do not return your card or lose it, all the hotel does is rescan another card under a different code so your card will be useless if anyone finds it or tries to use it. chambermaids have cards to access the floor they are working on so they cannot go anywhere they like. i have 2 mastercards that are programmed to access all rooms in the hotels, i have not returned them so they will have disabled there use. no details about anyone are on the card.
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The Truth.
My company supplies the card readers for 50% of the hotels in London. The capacity of the magnetic strip is only tiny, and can only store FIVE things:
Reader number
start time/day
expiry time/day
Hotel site code
Protocol, i.e simsys, weigand, protoscan, IECms etc.
After the expiry date, the information os curtailed, i.e. digitally inhibited so only the SITE CODE and protocol is retained so it can be identified to the programming device as "theirs". There is NOT any personal details held on the card.
Hope this puts a few peoples minds at rest.
Mike. (Technical Manager, Major Security company.)
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The Truth.
My company supplies the card readers for 50% of the hotels in London. The capacity of the magnetic strip is only tiny, and can only store FIVE things:
Reader number
start time/day
expiry time/day
Hotel site code
Protocol, i.e simsys, weigand, protoscan, IECms etc.
After the expiry date, the information os curtailed, i.e. digitally inhibited so only the SITE CODE and protocol is retained so it can be identified to the programming device as "theirs". There is NOT any personal details held on the card.
Hope this puts a few peoples minds at rest.
Mike. (Technical Manager, Major Security company.)
Ahh come on .... you KNOW you should never let the truth get in the way of a story .. no matter how implausible that story is ...
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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its surprising what some of the guests leave behind when they check out, when we stripped out the rooms on the 7th floor of the millenium mayfair. we found dildos, vibrators, inflatable dolls, mags and untold amount of condoms. this the hotel where the american presidential staff stay when they are in london. makes you wonder what george bush has had up his rse. ;D ;D
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its surprising what some of the guests leave behind when they check out, when we stripped out the rooms on the 7th floor of the millenium mayfair. we found dildos, vibrators, inflatable dolls, mags and untold amount of condoms. this the hotel where the american presidential staff stay when they are in london. makes you wonder what george bush has had up his rse. ;D ;D
I am surprised Richie you didn't find the odd crack pipe or six!! ::) :D :D :D :D :D
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You would be surprised what I have found under beds in country houses and government ministers houses whilst fitting panic buttons!!!
so far.....handcuffs, "insertables" ropes, nooses, rubber suits, gimp masks...........how the other half lives!!
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its surprising what some of the guests leave behind when they check out, when we stripped out the rooms on the 7th floor of the millenium mayfair. we found dildos, vibrators, inflatable dolls, mags and untold amount of condoms. this the hotel where the american presidential staff stay when they are in london. makes you wonder what george bush has had up his rse. ;D ;D
I am surprised Richie you didn't find the odd crack pipe or six!! ::) :D :D :D :D :D
found a lot of large cigar butts and there metal cases also empty bottles of brandy. lots of them. i think the best one was the whip we found that one of the labourers got flicked with.it did make a loud crack and a huge scream from him at the time. great laugh doing hotel refurbs :)
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its surprising what some of the guests leave behind when they check out, when we stripped out the rooms on the 7th floor of the millenium mayfair. we found dildos, vibrators, inflatable dolls, mags and untold amount of condoms. this the hotel where the american presidential staff stay when they are in london. makes you wonder what george bush has had up his rse. ;D ;D
What, apart from his head ?
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I stayed at the Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam recently - went to use the business centre and photo copied some docs.
When I looked on reverse of paper the hotel had only "turned over" a complete print out of guest credit cards, addresses etc and someone thought they were saving paper I think.
Hundreds of pages involved which I retrieved and dumped on manager's desk - muppets!!
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I hope you went in The Edo ( japanese restaurant ) while you were there.