“An Unsuccessful Overnight Endeavor: Biometric Authentication Fails Due to Cosmetic Surgery”

Biometric Authentication’s Absurdities

For the past two days, a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thanh Xuan, residing in Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City, have been staying up till midnight to register for biometric authentication via their bank’s app.

“During the day, we’re both at work, and by the time we finish, the bank is closed. So, we have to rely on self-registration for facial recognition through the bank’s app to transfer money. We stay up late because there are fewer people online, and the app is less likely to be congested, making it easier to register. However, we haven’t been successful even after two nights,” Mrs. Xuan sighed.

As instructed, Mrs. Xuan verified her information via her phone in three steps: taking photos of the front and back of her citizen ID card with a chip; scanning the chip on the ID card using her phone’s NFC; and finally, facial recognition and verification.

“After numerous attempts, I successfully completed the steps, but when it came to facial recognition, the system didn’t accept it and asked me to go to the bank for verification,” Mrs. Xuan added.

Another amusing incident involves Kim My, a resident of Thu Duc City. Her face has changed compared to the image on her chip-embedded citizen ID card, which she made last year. Yesterday (July 2), when she attempted facial recognition, the system failed to identify her as she had recently undergone double eyelid surgery and facial fillers, making her face fuller than in her ID photo.

“From now on, I can’t ‘age’ or have cosmetic procedures because even the slightest change in my appearance will prevent me from transferring money,” joked Ms. My.

According to PV Tien Phong‘s investigation, one of the most significant obstacles is that many smartphones on the market, mainly mid-range and lower models, do not support NFC (Near Field Communication). If customers cannot scan the data from their citizen ID cards, the only solution is to visit the bank branch in person to have their data scanned (this only needs to be done once).

On July 3, several bank branches in Ho Chi Minh City, such as Sacombank and Vietinbank, still witnessed a significant number of people registering for biometric authentication, mostly elderly individuals.

“I couldn’t do it myself at home, so I came to the bank for assistance. Although the app has improved since the initial days, it still takes a few attempts to succeed. With this new facial recognition tool, I feel much safer transferring large sums of money,” said Ms. Le Hong Trang (62 years old, residing in District 10).

What’s the Fuss About?

On July 3, Mr. Nguyen Duc Len, Deputy Director of the State Bank’s Ho Chi Minh City Branch, shared with PV Tien Phong that, despite the city’s credit institutions preparing technical infrastructure, internal processes, customer guidance, and communication, there are still many shortcomings.

“In reality, situations have arisen, such as customers not having chip-embedded citizen ID cards, phones without NFC functionality, network congestion, or the system failing to recognize customers… All of these issues can cause frustration for customers when performing a new activity,” Mr. Len stated.

“The State Bank’s Ho Chi Minh City Branch has requested that credit institutions further enhance customer support, especially in addressing their difficulties and providing timely assistance. Credit institutions should establish 24/7 customer service centers for advice and support,” he added.

During the initial implementation phase, credit institutions will closely monitor, address, and support customers facing difficulties or technical issues. They will also compile a list of scenarios to proactively handle future cases and organize and streamline the process,” emphasized Mr. Len.

According to the State Bank, the transaction rate for amounts above VND 10 million in the past three days has fluctuated between 6% and 8%. The State Bank asserts that mandatory biometric updates aim to prevent account holders from incurring losses when fraudsters make multiple large withdrawals. These regulations ensure that the person initiating the transfer is the genuine account holder, thereby enhancing security.

Currently, Agribank, Vietcombank, Sacombank, ACB, and other banks have warned that fraudsters are taking advantage of customers’ difficulties in performing biometric updates on banking apps. These scammers impersonate bank employees and offer to “assist” customers with biometric setup, ultimately stealing their assets and information.

Banks advise customers to update their biometric data only on the app of the bank where they hold a payment account. Do not update biometric data through any other websites or applications. Banks will never ask for OTPs, passwords, card numbers, etc., via phone calls or links. If customers encounter problems during the biometric data collection process, they can contact the bank’s hotline or visit the nearest branch for assistance.