A New Type of Biometric Tool

A Japanese bank is fighting back against a type of identity theft common to that country - theft of a person's deposit bank book - with a new biometric tool - one that uses the veins in a person's hand to identify that person.

A customer with one of Suruga Bank's Bio Security Deposit accounts places their hand below a scanner. The scanner checks the vein print against the one on file and works in conjunction with a personal identification number or a customer seal to verify identity before a person can withdraw money from their deposit account.

Palm vein scanners are supposedly more user friendly than iris scans and are not subject to the dirt that can interfere with a fingerprint scan.

Copyright © 2004 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 14, No. 9, 11/04