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Whew! But as humankind journeys on, so will other rumors, urban legends and misinformation — often shared by well-meaning friends and family — that warn of impending risk to your money, los angeles county superior court safety, privacy or identity. So before you click the email forward button, here are the facts on four false alarms that never die and are ever so enticing to spread.
Since 2003, email warnings have claimed that your credit card number and home address are stored on the magnetic strip of your hotel key — and harvested by identity thieves when you leave the card in your room or toss it in a lobby trash can.
Reality: Hotel keys contain coded information for only the room number and check-in/out dates, says Chad Callaghan of the American Hotel Lodging Association. If you use a key to charge dinner at a hotel restaurant, it's billed to your room, but credit card information is stored on another machine, says Callaghan.
Reality: Reputable dealerships and locksmiths require proof of ownership to issue a replacement key. In any case, obscuring a VIN is unwise — and may be illegal, because police rely on the numbers to identify stolen cars .