TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan will pilot an AI facial recognition system at ATMs in May to combat fraud.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said Tuesday that scammers often send masked individuals to withdraw illicit funds, making it difficult for police to trace them, per CNA. He said requiring visible faces at ATMs, or automated teller machines, will help authorities investigate and deter criminal activity.

The system uses AI cameras to detect whether a user’s face is fully visible and issue a voice prompt if a mask or helmet is detected, per The Storm Media. If the user does not comply within 10-15 seconds, an alarm will go off to alert bystanders and bank staff.

Huang said that according to the law, ATM users cannot be legally forced to reveal their faces, but hopes the alert system will act as a deterrent, per CNA. He added that this system targets the third stage of fraud — blocking mules from withdrawing cash after a scam.

Meng Chih-cheng (蒙志成), head of Tainan’s Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission, said the technology was adapted from AI mask-detection systems developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the system will first be installed at high-risk ATMs identified by law enforcement, with rollout to other locations pending testing.