Security: Saving Face At the ATM

Mr. Payroll never forgets a face. At least that's what the company's executives are hoping with the use of a face-recognition biometric system that identifies customers and automates a check cashing procedure at ATM-capable kiosks. The check-cashing company, with 152 franchises in 21 states, evaluated many solutions for automated check-cashing but chose TrueFace because it was reliable and the least intrusive. "We looked at practically all types of biometricsofingerprint, palm print, retina, iris...but we felt they were too intrusive to the customer," says Mr. Payroll president Michael Stinson. For a fee, customers can cash checks for a fee using their face and social security numbers for identification. TrueFace was created by Wellesley, MA-based Miros Inc. Keith Angell, vp of sales and marketing, says TrueFace is better than other biometrics because it acts like a human brain. "Our neural network thinks the way you think in recognition," he says. The network can account for about a dozen ways a face can change, including aging, facial hair and glasses. If the kiosk is not able to recognize the customer, an operator at Mr. Payroll's central service center in Texas, using a video and phone link, can compare the person present with the archived photo to make an approval. This is an advantage over other biometrics because most operators could not decide whether a thumbprint or retina presented by a customer matches the one on file. Mr. Payroll currently owns licenses for 20 of the automated kiosks and is in negotiations with several major banks to place co-branded kiosks in their lobbies. Miros is in negotiations or conducting tests with five of the top 10 Unites States banks. -sausner tfn.com.