ON GUARD: HOTEL HAZZARD
By Laura Quarantiello
® Tiare Publications Group
238 words
Bet you've never given a second thought to those plastic insert keys
to your room you're given when you register at a hotel or motel these
days. Law enforcement officers in California made an unsettling
discovery during a recent investigation into an identity theft case.
A card key (from the Double Tree Hotel) had encoded on it the
customer's name, partial home address, room number, check in/out
dates, credit card number and expiration date!
This may not seem to be a problem until you realize that, once you
turn the key in when you check out your personal information is
available for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in
the hotel scanner. An employee can take a handful of cards home and,
using a scanning device, access your information and then go shopping
at your expense!
Hotel room key cards are kept in a drawer at the front desk and are
not erased until the card is re-issued to a new guest. This means
your personal information is sitting there, just waiting to be taken.
David Wolf, a deputy DA with the Kern County District Attorney's
Office suggests you never leave your key card behind. Don't turn it
in at the front desk when you check out. Instead, take it with you
and destroy it. You won't be charged for the card and you'll have
protected yourself from this potential leakage of your personal data.
(End)
Laura Quarantiello is the author of the book "On Guard ű How to Win
the War Against the Bad Guys" ű your personal guide to safety and
security for yourself, family and property. More info is at:
http://www.tiare.com/onguard.htm.
