Biometric Card Maker Bows Fingerprint Reader to Combat Credit Fraud

A new credit card design from SmartMetric has a fingerprint reader to combat fraud, said the company Monday. Users touch a sensor on the surface of the card, which scans a fingerprint in less than a second. The print is matched with a fingerprint stored inside the card; when a match occurs, the card is turned on. The SmartMetric feature has its own internal power source, enabling the card to perform the scan before it's inserted in a reader, useful for restaurants where the card is taken away from the dining table to be processed, said the company. The company cited a 2021 LexisNexis fraud report saying every $1 of credit card fraud costs U.S. merchants $3.60; it was $3.13 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Users can enroll their fingerprint when they receive the card at home, said the company.