The Financial ID Briefing brings you top highlights from the world of biometrics, mobile ID, and finance. It is powered by FindBiometrics and Money20/20. Bank Fraud Versus Terrorism When It comes to collective nightmares shared by the American people, a new survey from FICO suggests that banking fraud and identity theft rank higher on the…
Americans are more worried about identity theft and banking fraud than they are about being the victim of terrorism, suggests new survey data from FICO. The analytics software provider commissioned an online survey of a representative sample of a thousand US adults in February and March of this year. It found that 44 percent of…
Japanese authorities are investigating what appears to be the country’s first case of fraud using Apple Pay, reports The Japan Times. The incident occurred in March, when four Chinese nationals loaded stolen credit card details onto two iPhones to buy 981 cartons of cigarettes. Remarkably, this was done at a convenience store, and despite the…
“The bogus identity used the name Osama bin Laden and featured a blurry photo of the former terrorist leader, who was killed by American special forces in 2011.” An employee of the Unique Identification Authority of India is under investigation by police officials for attempting to create a fraudulent identity in Aadhaar, the country’s national…
The Indian government continues its battle against fraudsters seeking to take advantage of the country’s now ubiquitous national biometric ID program, Aadhaar, with a new statement cautioning citizens not to purchase plastic or laminated versions of Aadhaar cards. In a statement, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is warning that certain “unscrupulous entities” are…
“…UIDAI, has announced that it has shut down 12 websites and Google Play store mobile apps for providing unauthorized Aadhaar services…” As Aadhaar, India’s national biometric ID program, continues to extend its reach into everyday life in the country, some are taking advantage and abusing the system – and the government is cracking down. The…
A researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) is warning that fingerprint recognition technology is now sophisticated enough that hackers could copy the patterns from photos of people giving the peace sign. In fact, Isao Echizen says he did just that, capturing fingerprint data from an individual standing only nine feet away. The claim…
It’s Black Friday, and that means the holiday season kicks off today. Accordingly, NuData security is raising the alarm about digital security threats as more shoppers place orders online. The company says that according to an analysis of its customer base using its NuDetech behavioral analytics platform, fraudsters are working harder than ever. Detected fraud…
Police have disrupted what appears to have been a biometric identity fraud scheme in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Police were alerted to the operation through a tip, and proceeded with a nighttime raid of a rented apartment in the city, where they found VoIP equipment, fake documents, a biometric scanner, and thousands of biometric SIM cards. Three individuals…
Biometrics company Sensory, Inc. is helping track employee attendance in Peru, Chile and Colombia thanks to a licensing agreement with Inngresa. The partnership has seen Sensory’s TrulySecure face recognition technology integrated into Inngresa’s attendance tracking platform, Inngresa Mobile, which cuts down on truancy and time fraud. According to an interview published on El Pais with Norelys…
Vkansee, a China-based fingerprint sensor company, has been demonstrating just how easy it is to spoof standard fingerprint readers like those used in the iPhone’s Touch ID system at this year’s Mobile World Congress. At its MWC booth, Vkansee representatives used a plasticine substance to collect fingerprint imprints, and then used them to unlock smartphones. Of course,…
The Lagos government is preparing to use biometric identification for its pension payments. The bluntly titled “I’M Alive” initiative is intended to prevent disbursement issues related to double-payments and fraud. The civil Service Pensions Office is now seeking to register all pensioners’ fingerprint biometric data through 16 facilities scattered throughout the state. Eligible citizens need…
Authorities in Karnataka state, India, are looking to use the country’s Aadhaar cards to ensure that parents do not enroll children in schools outside of their municipal districts. Indian children are currently entitled to free education under the country’s Right to Education (RTE) Act, but they must accept seats in the municipal wards of their primary…
Kuwaiti police have busted a fraud ring specializing in fingerprint spoofing. Eleven individuals have been arrested for allegedly using silicon-based forged fingerprints to defraud the Ministry of Electricity and Water in multiple districts. The alleged fraudsters are said to have been using the fake fingerprints to withdraw employee compensation in the amount of KD 50,…
During yesterday’s FindBiometrics hosted panel at Money20/20, Biometric Identity & Its Applications in Financial Services & Payments, the conversation turned inevitably to the problem of spoofing on consumer biometric devices, namely, the iPhone. When the time came for the audience to ask their questions of the identity and finance experts on stage, immediately an attendee…
In a bid to crack down on food welfare fraud, India’s Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies, Dinesh Gundu Rao, is bringing biometric scanning devices to distribution centers. The aim is to authenticate customers using their Aadhaar ID cards to ensure that they are indeed entitled to the food subsidies. Aadhaar is, of…
The city of Makati, in the Philippines, has started using biometrics to authenticate the identities of city staff. The system was spearheaded by Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña as a means of reducing fraud. The fraud in question is the issue of “ghost employees” – fictitious individuals drawing salaries on behalf of other city staff. In…
Over 60 social services fraudsters have been caught by a new biometric identification system in Ireland, according to an Irish Independent article by Shane Phelan. Collectively, the fraudsters had collected €1 million before being caught. The country’s Department of Social Protection has been using a facial recognition system with the new public service identification cards to…
Time is money, so they say, and while that age old business cliche may seem like a well worn way to lay guilt on procrastinators, it is also just straight out true when wages are doled out by the hour. Whether a wage slave at a fast food restaurant or high salaried upper-management, a person…