Tainan will launch a pilot program starting next month that uses AI-driven face identification technology at automatic teller machines (ATMs) where money mules withdraw money to bolster ATM fraud prevention, Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said on Tuesday.
Money mules hired by fraud gangs often use masks and motorcycle helmets to disguise themselves while making withdrawals or carrying out ATM transactions, Huang said.
However, individuals are not required by law to show their full faces while making withdrawals, said Meng Chih-cheng (蒙志成), head of Tainan’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, creating a loophole that fraud rings have exploited.
Photo: Wang Chu-hsiu, Taipei Times
To get around that, the pilot face recognition system to be installed at select ATM locations would first “remind” people using a voice recording to take off their masks and helmets as it tries to identify the user, Huang said.
If after 10 to 15 seconds the system still cannot identify the user, an alarm would sound that might draw the attention of people nearby or bank staff to deter money mules from engaging in transactions, Huang said.
The system would not prevent people from going through with transactions even if a face cannot be identified, Huang said, but he hoped it would have a deterrent effect.
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