HOTEL CARD KEY E-MAIL HOAX?
In October of 2003, an e-mail had circulated advising that hotel key cards were encoded with not only your room number, but also your personal information to include your name, home address, and credit card number. The e-mail suggested that you destroy the card away, rather than turning the card back into the front desk when checking out.
All of the information available indicates that this e-mail was in fact a hoax and that hotels DO NOT store your personal information on your room keys. However, thieves may be interested in your old hotel keys, as the magnetic stripes on the back can be re-encoded and used in credit card skimming scams. Basically, you’ll have to decide whether or not you should turn in the hotel room key or just destroy it.
More information regarding this topic in an article entitled “Hotel Key Cards: Identity Theft Risk or Not?” by Martin H. Bosworth with ConsumerAffairs.com. CLICK HERE to read the article.
All of the information available indicates that this e-mail was in fact a hoax and that hotels DO NOT store your personal information on your room keys. However, thieves may be interested in your old hotel keys, as the magnetic stripes on the back can be re-encoded and used in credit card skimming scams. Basically, you’ll have to decide whether or not you should turn in the hotel room key or just destroy it.
More information regarding this topic in an article entitled “Hotel Key Cards: Identity Theft Risk or Not?” by Martin H. Bosworth with ConsumerAffairs.com. CLICK HERE to read the article.
www.richmondIDtheft.com
The Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force is a cooperative effort
Click HERE for a complete list of scams and other fraudulent activity.
of federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies working together to address
the growing problem of financial crimes. The task force is run under the direction of the
United States Postal Inspection Service.