IMPORTANT SECURITY INFORMATION! WHAT'S ON YOUR HOTEL KEY CARD? Reprinted from Ralph Thomas (friend and PI) good stuff to know for all Government Travelers and much important information for those who didn't know. DO YOU KNOW THE SECRET BEHIND YOUR HOTEL KEYCARD?Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card? Well, it includes a) Your customer name b)Customer...'s partial home address c) Hotel room number d)Check-in date and out dates and most importantly e) Your credit card number and expiration date--you dummy! 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 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 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 and take them home with you, or destroy them. NEVER EVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them into the front desk when you check out of a room. Hotels cannot 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 THE CARD HOME and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic Information strip!Information courtesy of: Ralph Thomas PI and the Pasadena Police Department..Take a small magnet and pass it across the magnetic strip several times.. Then try it in the door, it will not work. It erases everything on the card. Be nice and forward this blog to all your Government co-workers, I am sure they do not know this. Robert Knauer, CPCM