So five star hotels don't have... security? cameras? How can someone move something big like a mattress or a tv out of the hotel without being noticed?.. That's a horrible security mistake on the hotels' side!
How stealing a mattress likely works at a 5 star hotel in 1 act:
"Are those assholes stealing a mattress?", "Yep. Should we stop um?", "Nah, its probably some crazy rich asshat that'll complain to management about suing for harassment. We will just blacklist the name on the card from the room missing a mattress."
Is the cloning of the chip actually necessary if the POS device is a swipe only unit? It is amazing how many retailers/vendors still do not accept chip. My current debit card is chip enabled, and works fine using the chip. However, it is now old enough that the mag stripe is worn off enough that the swipe only readers cannot read the information. I'm constantly being asked if I have another card to use. I always sarcastically ask if they have a different POS device to use that is modern with a chip reader.
I'm not sure what causes it, but Australia always seems to be really homogeneous regarding tech at the POS. As soon as NFC enabled EFTPOS was available from the banks, it felt like everyone already had the POS machine that could read them and chips.
I can't imagine going somewhere and having to use the swipe. Even some dinky rural bodega will have a swanky touch screen EFTPOS machine. I am thinking the banks must cover the cost.
May be a similar system to Denmark, where one of the major POS system sellers operator sort-of on a subscription basis. The retailers don't own the card machines themselves, but the machines are swiftly replaced when card standards are upgraded.
Wonder if you can slip it off the balcony. From one story up, I bet it lands fine into the back of a pickup. Heck, you could probably haul another one up with a winch, and cover your tracks or at least have plausible deniability.
If you can drop something that big from balcony without getting noticed, the opposite with something getting in through the balcony is also possible then, still a major security issue.
