News and insight into biometric identification and authentication

Woman caught with surgery to fool biometrics

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

A 27 year-old Chinese woman named Lin Ring has been arrested attempting to illegally gain entry into Japan following a deportation in 2007, according to an article from The Register. The attempt was made by having her fingerprints of her right hand surgically removed and switched with those of her left hand to fool the biometric collection the Japanese government performs on non-citizens entering Japan.


Reportedly, Lin was able to fool agents collecting data at the Kansai Airport last year utilizing another’s passport with her switched fingerprints. However, when entering into a suspicious marriage to a Japanese man, police investigation turned out scars on her fingers and thumbs which provoked a deeper investigation.

According to Lin, she paid 1.3 million Yen for the surgery that was performed in a private home in her home country of China. Lin, however, is not the only one to be caught by Japanese authorities having received a surgery altering their fingerprints to illegally gain entry into the country, Japan reports that eight others have been caught between January 2009 and October 2009 with the same or similar surgeries.

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The Basque National Health System has launched a neonatal security system designed to monitor and protect new-born infants using RFID technology.

When a pregnant woman is admitted to hospital, she is provided a tag with a unique identification which can be read in all the maternity zones. When the baby is born, an RFID tag specially designed for the new born is fitted to its ankle. The device monitors the infant 24 hours a day, detecting unauthorized movements, registering entries and exits to and from and enabling immediate location information.

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A common refrain for those opposed to biometrics is that the identification technology is easy to spoof. It’s widely touted that fingerprint scanners can be fooled by fashioning a simple “gummy finger” from common household products.

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The Department of Motor Vehicles in Rhode Island is employing a facial recognition-based system in its license and identification card issuance programs in an effort to curb identity fraud, according to a Turn to 10 article.

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GENTAG Inc., Third Technology Capital Investors and the Core institute have collaborated on a post surgery mobile monitoring application that uses NFC.

The patient can use the kit to monitor themselves for excessive swelling as they heal after they are discharged from the hospital. The software can be used to monitor compartment syndrome, post orthopedics surgery, back pressure and bed sores, and pressure in casts.

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Northwest Michigan Surgery Center (NMSC) has selected the Versus Advantages real-time locating system (RTLS) to better improve its patient care experience.

Averaging around 80 patients per day, the Northwest Michigan Surgery Center will use the Versus RTLS to relay patient status information to families, as well as to provide automated process flow management for NMSC clinical staff.

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The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is focusing on a goal of driving the research and development of biometrics and building the future of the industry around a concern for end-user privacy protection.

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