It _can_ happen. It *does* happen. The voluntary-participation "Pay
> by Touch" system deprives the 'smart' crooked cashier -- as well as
> the 'dumb' one -- of the opportunity to 'steal' a card number.
> But, you're right, I can't imagine why anyone would *consider*
> participating in that program.
One thing that I haven't seen brought up here re the issue of having your fingerprint "on file" is that I believe the Biometric systems actually record (and store) a "hash" value of the particular ID, not the ID itself (like an actual image of your fingerprint).
This is supposed to ensure that the stored ID cannot be used to re-create the actual ID, but can only be used for comparison with new hashed data.
This is from my Biometric system knowledge of a few years ago, someone with more up to date information may be able to expand all of our knowledge ...
Regards,
David Clayton, e-mail: snipped-for-privacy@XYZ.myrealbox.com Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (Remove the "XYZ." to reply)
Dilbert's words of wisdom #18: Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.