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Selfie fingerprint’ scam is ‘real,’ some AI experts warn — others say it’s bunk: ‘Stuff out of spy novels’

Nypost · · 617 words · By Reda Wigle
Cybersecurity Risks AI Capabilities Biometric Privacy
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What to know about Cybersecurity Risks

Selfie fingerprint’ scam is ‘real,’ some AI experts warn — others say it’s bunk: ‘Stuff out of spy novels’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 6
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center88%
Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Selfie fingerprint’ scam is ‘real,’ some AI experts warn — others say it’s bunk: ‘Stuff out of spy novels’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleSiege of the selfie?

Common ground

Panic is building amid social media claims that hackers can now use AI to extract fingerprints from posted pics of people innocently flashing peace signs.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/tech/selfie-fingerprint-scam-is-real-some-ai-exper…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 60% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “The clip in question features financial expert Li Chang demonstrating how taking a peace-sign selfie could leave you vulnerable to hackers who could steal your prints”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (New York Post and a report on China TV shows) specifically name financial expert Li Chang and describe his demonstration of fingerprint theft from peace-sign selfies.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chang Li-sheng (Chinese: 張厲生; pinyin: Zhāng Lìshēng; 17 June 1901 – 20 April 1971) was a Chinese politician and diplomat who served as the Secretary General of the Kuomintang from 1954 to 1959. L.S. C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_Li-sheng
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — War is a 2007 American action film directed by Philip G. Atwell in his directorial debut and featuring stage combat choreographed by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. Jason Statham …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(2007_film)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chang Li-chi (born 1984) is an educator of the People's Republic of China. Born in Taichung County, Taiwan, Chang is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the School of International Studies, Huaqiao…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_Li-chi
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “The alarm seems to have originated from a Chinese television segment that aired this April.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (CBS News, The Times, and another AI-focused report) confirm that a Chinese television demonstration involving fingerprint extraction from peace-sign selfies caused a viral scare.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's second-most populous country after India, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion (17% of the world…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis; simplified Chinese: 鼍; traditional Chinese: 鼉; pinyin: tuó), also known as the Yangtze alligator (simplified Chinese: 扬子鳄; traditional Chinese: 揚子鱷; pinyin: …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_alligator
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “In 2014, hacker Jan Krissler — also known, inexplicably, as “Starbug” — announced that he used a close-up photo of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s thumb, along with other images taken from various angles during a press event, to recreate her fingerprint.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is confirmed by BBC News, a news report on the hacker's actions, and Wikipedia, all stating that Jan Krissler (Starbug) recreated Ursula von der Leyen's fingerprint from photos in 2014.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jan Krissler, better known by his pseudonym starbug, is a German computer scientist and hacker. He is best known for his work on defeating biometric systems, most prominently the iPhone's TouchID. He …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Krissler
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Neurotechnology (previously known as Neurotechnologija) is an algorithm and software development company founded in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1990. Neurotechnology provides algorithms and neural network s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotechnology_(company)
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan Krissler, better known by his pseudonym starbug, is a German computer scientist and hacker. He is best known for his work on defeating biometric systems ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Krissler
+ 2 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “The most common scam — with around 193,000 complaints — was phishing/spoofing”
VERIFIED
The SEC warning explicitly mentions that the IC3 received 191,561 complaints for phishing/spoofing, which aligns closely with the claim's 'around 193,000' and identifies it as the top crime type.
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web search NEUTRAL — Phishing is a form of social engineering and a scam where attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information [1] or installing malware such as viruses, worms, adware, or ransomware. Phishin…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
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web search NEUTRAL — October is Cyber Security Awareness month, and phishing scams remain one of the most common ways businesses are compromised. Phishing Attacks: Don't Take the Bait! Phishing is one of the most common c…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benefit-allocation-systems_ti…
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web search NEUTRAL — The agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 1 million complaints in total from people who were defrauded out of their money. Last year, phishing/spoofing was the top crime ty…
https://www.mixedtimes.com/technology/sec-issues-warning-for…
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Claim 5: “According to the FBI, cyber scams have skyrocketed in recent years, with digital fraudsters stealing $16 billion from Americans in 2024 — a 33% increase from the previous year.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources cite the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report, mentioning losses exceeding $16 billion in 2024 and a 33% increase from the previous year.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Depart…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigatio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Americans is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX. It aired for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Americans
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The first season of the American television drama series The Americans premiered on January 30, 2013, and concluded on May 1, 2013. It consisted of 13 episodes, each running for approximately 45 minut…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Americans_season_1
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 6: “Elderly people were the most common victims, with lmost 30% of total monetary losses from people over 60.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic search results for 'People.com', '60 Minutes', and 'RSV vaccine', none of which contain data regarding the percentage of monetary losses for people over 60 in 2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 60 Minutes is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other ne…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — For People is an IMOCA 60 monohull sailing yacht, designed by Antoine Koch in cooperation with Finot-Conq, constructed by CDK Technologies in France, and launched on 16 March 2023. It is designed for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMOCA_60_For_People
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, or RSV vaccine, is a vaccine that protects against respiratory syncytial virus. RSV affects an estimated 64 million people and causes 160,000 deaths worldwide ea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_syncytial_virus_va…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.