Hello Sir, this is my 6th NU6. Thanks a lot sir. - Bong Canlas
Biometrics for ATM Cards
By: Jose Tiburcio S. Canlas
There have been reported cases of unauthorized withdrawals from bank accounts through the use of ATM Cards. The illegal activity is performed by secreting a card reader with a memory chip into the ATM machine. When a user then inserts its ATM card into the machine to perform a transaction such as balance inquiry or withdrawal, the card reader copies the data from the ATM card. A camera is also placed somewhere near the machine in order to acquire the cardholder's personal identification number.
I have one office mate who is maintaining an account with a checkbook and an ATM card. There was a time when he issued a check for a certain amount which he thought was sufficiently funded by his account. To his surprise, one bank employee called him to inform him of a check he issued for which there was an insufficient fund. He was forced to go to the bank to inquire of the transactions which led to the loss of his deposits. He was given a statement of account which showed a series of withdrawals performed in a number of consecutive days until the account was depleted. He remembered that two days before the unauthorized withdrawal, he made an ATM withdrawal from one of the ATM machines inside Marquee Mall. He then checked with his bank in what specific locations the unauthorized withdrawals were made. The specific locations were determined to be in certain places in Manila. Luckily, there were CCTV cameras in the specific locations that were identified. Upon reviewing the recorded videos, it turned out that the withdrawals were made by a certain foreign looking man.
Hearing my office mate's story, I myself have decided to limit the use of my ATM cards. I have thought that as an additional security for the use of ATM cards, why not replace the PIN with the cardholder's biometric fingerprints. I have thought of this when in one of my visits to the Pampanga capitol, I have seen a GSIS machine which GSIS members can use to check and perform transactions with GSIS. As I went near the machine and read the instructions for its use, I learned that the cardholder would need to insert his card into the machine and then he would need to insert his right thumb into the biometric reader. If accepted, then the cardholder can start doing transactions. I then thought that could also be applied for bank ATM machines. That would provide more security as the fingerprint would be harder to copy than the personal identification number. 3
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