Credit Card Info, Unnecessary info kept by park(s)? Options

[rfarkle]

We recently stayed at Twin Falls 93 RV Park. Upon checking in, the manager swiped my credit card and received an authorization number okaying the charge. She then proceeded to write down my card number , expiration date and "secret number" (from the back of the card) on my registration form. This form includes my name, address and phone number. At the time she did it, I thought it was odd, but I was awake all night worrying about how the info could be used. The office was not particularly secure and people likely are in and out, plus the managers are probably not around 24/7. In the morning I emailed them asking them to destroy my credit card info and they said they would, however I am sure they will continue to collect the info from others. Please guard your credit card info and refuse attempts to keep permanent record of your info.

[Glenn Norton]

One other concern fellow campers should be concerned about is when the campground has to phone in the credit card number when their machine is out of commission. This happened to us about 5 years ago in California. Office staff used a cell phone to call in the credit card number (including the security 3 digit number). Next day my credit card was declined at a grocery store and gas station and I called the credit card company to find out why. Apparently someone must have intercepted the credit card number from the cell phone transmission and was using it to pay for Vonage calls to Somalia. So my credit card was suspended and a new one Fedexed out to my next campground. I won't ever allow anyone to call in my credit card number on a cell phone ever again.

[Dutch_12078]

One other concern fellow campers should be concerned about is when the campground has to phone in the credit card number when their machine is out of commission. This happened to us about 5 years ago in California. Office staff used a cell phone to call in the credit card number (including the security 3 digit number). Next day my credit card was declined at a grocery store and gas station and I called the credit card company to find out why. Apparently someone must have intercepted the credit card number from the cell phone transmission and was using it to pay for Vonage calls to Somalia. So my credit card was suspended and a new one Fedexed out to my next campground. I won't ever allow anyone to call in my credit card number on a cell phone ever again.

Since the change over to digital encrypted cell service, interception of cell signals is extremely difficult to accomplish. You're much more likely to be compromised by the person on one end of the connection or the other, regardless of the connection method.