Although room keys differ from hotel to hotel, a key obtained from a well known hotel chain that was being used for a regional Identity Theft Presentation was found to contain the following the information:
1. Customers name
2. Customers partial home address
3. Hotel room number
4. Check in date and check out date
5. Customer's credit card information
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 handfuls 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. However, 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 to 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 in to the front desk when you check out of a room. They will not charge you for the card (it is illegal) and you will 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. This information provided through the courtesy of the Pasadena Police Department.
