How can you confirm who a person is, or transfer funds without ever touching a coin or a dollar bill? Today’s credit cards and debit cards, ID cards, and more can allow store associates, police officers, and more confirm the ID of a person with ID scanners and ID readers, and many store associates will use barcode readers other scanners when a customer makes a purchase. Overall, card and code scanning technology is broad and highly convenient, from handheld ID card scanners that police officers use to ballot scanners at voting sites. But what do ID scanners actually detect? For those wondering “what do ID scanners actually detect?”, the answer may be surprising. Great lengths are taken to ensure that no one goes around with a false or stolen ID card.
ID Cards
Let us pose the question: “what do ID scanners actually detect?” As an answer, some of today’s ID card readers will scan an ID card’s magnetic stripes and its bar codes not only for the holder’s date of birth and their name, but other vital statistics too. As for “what do ID scanners actually detect”, there may be factors such as height, eye color, height, body weight, and even social security number (SSN) included. With such rigorous ID scanning and all these details involved, it may be quite difficult for a scammer or ID thief to get away with using an ID that is not theirs.
ID cards may be read at a liquor store or grocery store to prevent the sale of alcohol to customers under the age of 21, and sometimes IDs may be read even for the purchase of tobacco products, too. The same might be done for the purchase of R-rated movie DVDs or M-rated video games (this may vary somewhat). And of course, nightclubs, bars, and strip clubs may ask for ID as well, and a bouncer can use a handheld scanner or even just their eyes to confirm a person’s age and identity. Police officers may also make rigorous use of ID scanners when they pull someone over or arrest a person, and confirm that person’s ID through their driver’s license or other cards. Finally, ID scanning tech is often used at places of work as well. Once hired, a person may have their photo taken and a workplace ID card is printed for them. Upon arriving at the premises, that employee may present that card to a human security guard, or pass it under a scanner to confirm their employment status. This can help prevent unauthorized people from visiting (or intruding upon) the workplace. In some cases, scanning an ID doubles as clocking in and clocking out.
Other Scanners
It is also safe to say that scanner technology has dominated the world of finance. While cash still has its uses, many customers today make good use of debit cards, credit cards, and even gift cards to transfer funds to purchase an item or a service. Most Americans own a debit and/or a credit card, and at a store, they can hand over that card and have it scanned or swiped. This allows a credit card company or a bank to transfer the funds right away, and the whole process is nearly instantaneous. Some of today’s card also have chips in them that can be read with chip readers, and that acts as an extra layer of security against fraud or theft. Such cards can not only replace cash, but they are useful when making purchases online through a computer. The buyer can enter their card’s information, and the transaction may be completed.
Voting makes good use of scanner tech as well. The United States enjoys a very low rate of voter fraud, partly due to ID card checking that is done by human staff at any voter site. A voter may either use a touch screen on a computer to make marks on a ballot, or they can fill out a paper form and feed it into a scanner machine. That machine can quickly and accurately scan the contents of a ballot that was marked correctly, allowing many votes to be logged in a single day at a voting site. This is more convenient than counting ballots by hand.
