Banks Use Callers' Voiceprints to Fight Fraud

Computers with voice recognition are being used--sometimes discreetly--to add extra security during calls with customers. (Inc.)

"We lost everything," she said. "Can you send me a card to where we're staying now?"

The card nearly was sent. But as the woman poured out her story, a computer compared the biometric features of her voice against a database of suspected fraudsters. Not only was the caller not the person she claimed to be, "she" wasn't even a woman. The program identified the caller as a male impostor trying to steal the woman's identity.

The mechanics of how the banks are using voice analysis are pretty interesting. By focusing on known or suspected fraudsters, it reminds me a little bit of the Nevada Gaming Commission's Excluded Person List.