Originally published September 4 2005
Retina scans and chip implants are replacing credit cards
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Plastic debit and credit cards have been the base of our consumer transactions for quite some time now, but are incredibly vulnerable to fraud, so many companies are switching to safer methods, like retina scans and chip implants.
Debit and credit cards overtook cash and checks last year as America's retail payment of choice.
Consumers employed plastic in 52% of in-store transactions last year as debit card use surged and cash faded.
Your cards can be stolen, or the information off the magnetic stripe can be duplicated without your knowledge.
Those realities are leading some retailers and banks to look for payment methods that are a lot more secure.
A few experts predict plastic itself will someday be as obsolete as pieces of eight, replaced by everything from radio-frequency chips in cell phones to fingerprint scans.
A chip on your shoulder -- or arm Here's a small sampling of payment technologies already in use.
The radio-frequency chips imbedded in the phones have security features that prevent thieves from breaking into the underlying accounts, and most transactions require the user to type a passcode into a special pad.
A night club in Barcelona, Spain, says it has injected similar rice-sized chips in the upper arms of a few dozen regular patrons.
When they order drinks, their bank accounts are debited by passing a wand over the chip.
Stores in Texas, Kansas and Missouri have adopted fingerprint payment systems, and Piggy Wiggly recently said four of its stores in South Carolina had installed the technology.
The FTC estimates 10 million Americans were victimized last year, while Gartner's studies showed 2 million bank accounts were raided.
(For tips on fighting back, read "10 ways to stop identity theft cold.")
I'm not going to let them implant a chip or scan my retinas (another "biometric" authentication process that gives most people the willies), but I wouldn't mind carrying a key fob that would make my accounts more secure.
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