Thumbprint request angers shopper

The initiative protects customers if their cards are lost or stolen

A woman asked to leave her fingerprint after buying books in a shop in Kent has complained it was an infringement of her privacy and civil liberties.

Jennifer Bryant, from Dartford, said it happened in the Serendipity store at the Bluewater shopping centre after she had paid using her credit card.

The centre said it was part of a scheme initiated by Kent Police and being tried out in a small number of stores.

The force said it was looking into whether the scheme should continue.

We've not had one incident of fraud in five years. Sharon Brine, Serendipity

Under the anti-fraud initiative, shoppers paying by credit card are asked to provide a fingerprint onto the credit card slip, or a second proof of identification.

If the purchase later proves to be fraudulent the store can then pass the details onto the police.

Ms Bryant said she was very shocked when asked to provide a thumbprint.

"I think the initiative in itself makes everyone feel like they are a criminal."

Sharon Brine, managing director of Serendipity, said the scheme protected the customer if their card was lost or stolen because they could then prove if the transaction was not theirs.

She said the shop, which does not have the chip and pin system, had been operating the scheme for five years and Ms Bryant's complaint was the first it had received.

"We've not had one incident of fraud in those five years... we will continue with the scheme," she said.