BioPay Empowers Merchants Across the Suburban Washington, DC Area to Offer Biometric Payments to Consumers

From Food Merchants to Gas Stations to Hair Salons, Businesses Embrace BioPay; Consumers Enjoy BioPay's Convenience

Herndon, VA — September 23, 2003

Biometric payment transaction leader BioPay, LLC today announced its bCheck biometric payment service can now be used to pay for goods and services at nearly two dozen retail locations in Northern Virginia and Maryland. These merchants represent the largest cluster of businesses using biometric payment systems anywhere in the United States. BioPay is proving to give merchants a low-cost form of payment with unmatched security against fraud and consumers get the convenience and security of paying with the touch of a personal biometric.

Merchants in multiple vertical markets are seeing the advantages of BioPay and are eagerly installing the bCheck system. In fact, merchants like mobile phone dealers, pet stores, gas stations, hair salons, dry cleaners, restaurants, and health stores are now taking advantage of BioPay's ability to reduce payment costs, stop check fraud, and increase customer convenience.

"BioPay delivers unsurpassed convenience to consumers," said Tim Robinson, president of BioPay. "Shoppers no longer have to remember to bring their checkbook or credit and debit cards. They simply use their finger image to authorize a debit from their checking account and they're on their way."

Running errands has never been easier for consumers. Consumers can pick up their cleaning, fill their gas tank, buy lunch, get their haircut, and easily pay for their purchases with a scan of their finger.

Customers can pay with their finger at any BioPay bCheck location, including these businesses that currently offer the service to consumers:

• Café Primavera — 850 North Randolph Road, Arlington, VA
• California Tortilla — 4862 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, MD
• Cartoon Cuts — 21100 Dulles Town Center, Sterling, VA
• Crest Cleaners — 1250 Elden Street, Herndon, VA
• Crest Cleaners — 13340G Franklin Farm Road, Herndon, VA
• Fox Mill Pets — 404 Elden Street, Herndon, VA
• Fox Mill Pets — 13300 Franklin Farm Road, Herndon, VA
• General Nutrition Center (GNC) — 21100 Dulles Town Center, Sterling, VA
• General Nutrition Center (GNC) — 21000 Southbank Street, Sterling, VA
• Ingrid's Hair Design — 11340H Franklin Farm Road, Herndon, VA
• Hickory Hams — 560 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, VA
• Little Italy Deli — 13850 East Braddock Road, Centreville, VA
• Milano Pizza & Pasta — 1015 Dranesville Road, Herndon, VA
• Monroe Grill — 610 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, VA
• Nextel (Adcomm, Inc.) — 13830-2 Lee Highway, Centreville, VA
• Nextel (Adcomm, Inc.) — 13037-A2 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Chantilly, VA
• Nextel (Adcomm, Inc.) — 380 Elden Street, Herndon, VA
• Nextel (Adcomm, Inc.) — 8216 Centreville Road, Manassas, VA
• Shell Gas Station — 12219 Leesburg Pike, Herndon, VA

"Good business is all about giving our customers quality and convenience," said Pam Felix, owner of California Tortilla, Bethesda, Maryland. "With bCheck, customers can get through the line quicker and get on to more pressing tasks like enjoying their tasty burrito."

Preventing fraud with bCheck

bCheck helps merchants fight check fraud. Since biometrics are unique to an individual and can't be stolen or easily replicated, they offer consumers protection against identity theft. Merchants accepting biometric payments can be confident the customer is who they say they are, helping to reduce losses to fraud.

"bCheck lets me give my customers the service they deserve," said Tom Webb, Franchise Owner, General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Sterling, Virginia. "At the same time, bCheck helps me detect a bad check and prevents me from taking a loss. That's great for my bottom line."

The Federal Trade Commission reports that nearly ten million people were victims of identity theft in 2002; annual losses from check fraud alone exceed $10 billion every year, on average.

Purchases with bCheck

Making purchases with bCheck is easy. Customers simply enter their phone number and place their finger on the scanning device to confirm their purchase amount. Funds are securely transferred from the enrolled account to the merchant's account. The transaction is performed like a normal check payment, but settlement is performed electronically and the customer's unique finger scan acts as the signature on the check.

Purchases made with bCheck also offer the merchant a low-cost form of payment acceptance. In fact, bCheck transaction costs are 75% less than the costs of credit card and off-line debit (check card) transactions.

Enrolling in bCheck

Customers only need to enroll in bCheck once, and enrollment can be completed at any merchant that offers the bCheck service. To enroll, the customer gives the clerk his or her driver's license or other ID for inputting into BioPay's database. At the same time, the customer's index fingers are scanned. The customer's preferred checking account is also recorded. The entire process takes less than a minute. Repeat customers can quickly and conveniently pay for purchases with the touch of a finger; cash, checks, credit and debit cards, and ID are no longer required.

About BioPay, LLC

Since 1999, BioPay has been providing smart, secure methods for processing financial transactions. Its Paycheck Secure systems help businesses substantially reduce fraud and give consumers a convenient method for cashing checks. BioPay's payment service offers merchants a low-cost form of customer payment and gives consumers a secure, fast and convenient way to pay for purchases. BioPay's patent-pending systems for merchants, banks and financial service organizations have been implemented across the nation. BioPay's value to consumers and merchants has created the nation's largest commercial electronic biometric database. For more information on BioPay and its market-leading products please visit www.biopay.com.