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magnetic strip

noun

  1. a strip of magnetic material on which information may be stored, as by an electromagnetic process, for automatic reading, decoding, or recognition by a device that detects magnetic variations on the strip:

    a credit card with a magnetic strip to prevent counterfeiting.



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Example Sentences

“There is a magnetic strip in your visitor’s badge that allows it to monitor your location. If you walk into an empty space, it turns on the lights. It knows how many people are in any room at any moment and adjusts the temperature accordingly. In the afternoon, when people naturally tire, it directs extra oxygen into rooms to boost energy levels.”

To use one of those cards at a retailer or restaurant, you have to swipe its magnetic strip through a card reader, then either enter your PIN into the reader or sign a copy of the receipt.

But some card readers have been altered by thieves with a “skimmer” that collects the information on the magnetic strip.

In some cases, thieves will also have hidden a pinhole camera to record the PINs entered into the keypad to go along with magnetic strip information captured by the skimmer.

And having the information from the magnetic strip is akin to holding the card, at least when making transactions where the card doesn’t have to be present.

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