Fingerprint unlock: brace for the impact

Technological phone gadgets promise security, but often cause serious hangovers. Godwin (28), a security expert himself, experienced it first-hand on his last evening in Barcelona, ​​when he was celebrating his business success on a terrace. The deal had been secured. So had his promotion. He enjoyed the sultry evening warmth and his sangria and played around with his brand-new smartphone, his shiny gadget with fingerprint unlocking. It felt as if his future was smiling at him from the palm of his hand.

Who was also smiling at him was Isabella, a charming Spanish woman. They were soon drinking sangria together. Godwin, charmed by Isabella's English with a delightful Spanish accent and stimulated by the sangria, chatted away about his success, his security firm and his superior smartphone. Isabella was all ears.

Later, Godwin didn't even remember whose idea it had been to go to his hotel room. And there was more he didn’t remember. After Isabella had poured him another drink in his room, he had lost a good piece of his mental records until the next morning, when he woke up at ten o'clock with a stubborn hangover. Isabella had apologized on a scrap of paper with the hotel logo. Thanks you for verry nice evening. But she really had to go to the office.

The hangover struck again when he checked out. His Mastercard had been emptied and his phone had become a useless piece of crap. He could no longer make calls, send emails, or pay for his room. The hotel was kind enough to allow him to call his sister in the Netherlands, who could at least pay the bill.

The third hangover came when he got home. His entire house had been ransacked. There was not much to be had, but the damage was still around 15,000 euros, it turned out later, on top of the 25,000 stolen from his credit card.

Godwin was lucky. The perpetrators were arrested in a similar case elsewhere. Their tactics have become classics: they steal someone's fingerprint, open the phone, take over their identity and steal whatever they can. He has been compensated for his damages, but he is still very scared and ashamed.

Godwin is using a PIN code on his phone again. The manufacturers can get stuffed, with their fingerprints and facial recognition. His sister gave him a strong lecture about his Instagram account: "In the sun with my new Samsung." She was so right.

Of course, the question remains what was in that drink. Well... Godwin only knows.