Credit Card company MasterCard has confirmed that it has implemented the selfie authentication feature for its customers to help prevent fraud and unauthorized usage of their credit cards in online purchases.

Mastercard announced the move at the Mobile World Congress tech show in Barcelona.

It said the rollout this summer would involve the UK, US, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

It explained that members of the public would have to download an application to their PC, tablet or smartphone to use the system.

When they make an online purchase, they will still need to provide their credit card details as normal, but if a further authentication check is required, they will be asked to look at their phone’s camera or use its fingerprint sensor rather than be told to type in selected letters from their password, as is the case at the moment.

If the user opts for a selfie, they will have to blink into the camera to prove they are not just holding up a photo.

Security researchers have pointed out that facial scans and fingerprint sensors can be compromised. Even so, Mastercard insists its other security mechanisms should be able to prevent or at least detect suspicious behavior. In addition, it says the facial scans and fingerprint data will not be transmitted in a form that could be intercepted, stolen or used by scammers.