Paying by selfie is just a click away

BANKS will soon allow customers to pay for goods online by taking a photo of their own face.

Technology unveiled this week by MasterCard – dubbed “selfie-payments” – means shoppers will no longer have to memorise passwords.

Instead, they can download the Identity Check smartphone app, which uses facial recognition software to approve purchases.

You have to blink into the camera to prove it is you – and not a fraudster using a picture of you.

And because the software uses facial measurements to check identity, it doesn’t matter if you grow a beard or get your hair cut.

The selfie method is just one way banks are using new technology to make it easier to pay.

Last week HSBC said customers will be able to access their account through voice recognition and fingerprint software.

MasterCard is trialling a Nymi wristband that uses heartbeat sensors to verify identity and authorise payments.

The Identity Check app, available in the UK later this year, will be free to download. – Daily Mail