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Crooks have nowhere to go

Fraudsters will soon have nowhere to hide - because the future has arrived. This is according to Jans Wessels, managing director of Dex Group Informatix.

Wessels says crime at every level can be reduced through the strategic use of advanced biometric identifiers. Even terrorism, forgery and fraud can be dealt a severe blow.

The key is the undisputed identification and authentication of people and information. The use of biometrics is unlimited and highly accurate. Among many others, it provides the solution to eliminate fraud with drivers' licences, ID documents, passports and confidential records such as university degrees and legal documents. All of this is linked to an accountability trail right back to point of issue where the corruption often occurs.

Wessels says it is scandalous that South Africa so often seems to be satisfied with following the rest of the world while cutting-edge developments are to be found in this country. "We have all the necessary management skills available right here in South Africa," he says. South African technology is often more successful internationally than locally.

According to Wessels people tend to wait for a crisis to happen before they look for solutions. Pre-emptive action can prevent much grief and damage.

"The future is here and at our disposal, but many organisations and companies still do not make use of available technology," he says.

The answer, he says, is in the use of integrated biometric management systems. The perception that biometric control is expensive, is also false.

Biometric control could, for instance, address the accountability of staff handling parcels in the postal service. It will be possible to determine exactly the time at which a specific individual last handled a parcel. There are innumerable applications for freight transport and particularly at airports where handlers, baggage and parcels are currently not monitored individually.

Wessels says biometric solutions are no longer James Bond-technology. They are available and affordable for everyday use.

Dex has started applying biometric access control some years ago to secure flats in Hillbrow. The company also had great success with two dimensional access control during the cricket world cup event in South Africa. Although there were thousands of efforts to commit fraud, every single one was thwarted. This same technology has also successfully been implemented to secure private pilots' licences in South Africa.

Dedicated solutions can be designed for every problem environment. Vein readers in the mining industry, for instance, offer a better solution than fingerprint readers because miners' fingerprints are often damaged in their underground work.

Another advantage is that biometric systems can be integrated seamlessly with existing systems with relative ease.

Biometrics has proven to be an effective solution for high-security access control, ensuring that only authorised individuals can access protected or secure areas. Biometric systems require careful monitoring. It is important, therefore, that systems be acquired from reliable companies with a proven track record and providing local support.

Let us put some effort behind the 'Proudly South African' campaign.

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