Paying with a smile: is it safe to pay with a face and can you write off money without you

Paying for coffee or groceries simply by looking into the terminal’s camera has become a daily reality. But how safe is it? Can a scammer write off your funds by bringing your photo to the scanner? Specialist in video analytics Mikhail Shestakov put everything on shelves.

How it actually works

The principle is similar to card payment, but instead of plastic, the system reads biometrics. You tie your face to your bank account in advance. When you purchase, the terminal compares your current “biometric vector” to the stored reference. If the data converge, the transaction is confirmed.

Will a photograph or a mask fool the system?

You don't have to smile. The main protection of the technology is to check for “vitality” (whether there is a live person in front of the camera). An ordinary photo or a simple mask will not work. However, the expert admits a theoretical risk: if a person is asleep or unconscious, the system can recognize him and make a payment.

To mitigate this threat, banks are introducing additional checks. In case of suspicious activity or a large purchase amount, the terminal will request a PIN code. This works by analogy with contactless payment: small purchases are easy, for significant expenses you need a secret code.

The main vulnerabilities of technology

1. High-tech masks. Theoretically, the system can be cheated, but creating such a face copy costs a lot of money, making such fraud economically unprofitable.

2. Recognition failure. Poor lighting, an unusual angle or a sharp change in image can cause the system to mistakenly deny access.

3. Lack of informed consent. The camera confirms that it is you, but does not prove that you really wanted to make this purchase.

Who's the main weak link?

According to Shestakov, only cash gives absolute reliability. But in the world of digital money, biometrics works great. The main problem is the man himself. No camera will protect your account if you use the password “12345”, store card data in open phone notes or dictate codes from SMS to strangers.