the present invention may applied to many different environments and incorporate many different features or functionalities . a system of the present invention uses authentication techniques to identify an individual and then uses that information in a variety of ways to reduce criminal acts such as credit card or check fraud by such individuals and / or to improve the shopping experience of such individuals through personalization . preferably , the system uses facial image recognition because such a system is passive in the sense that the individual being identified or authenticated need not even know the system exists . while facial image recognition is preferred , the invention also may be implemented with other authentication techniques such as fingerprint recognition . in a preferred embodiment the system has a database that evolves over time as the system is used . data is entered into the database , for example , each time an individual makes a purchase at an establishment using the system . the data preferably would include an image ( such as facial or fingerprint ) of an individual , credit card data ( names , numbers , etc . ), and shopping habit data . through the following description , embodiments are described with respect to facial images due to the passivity of such systems , but such embodiments likewise could be implemented using other identification or authentication techniques such as fingerprint recognition . when an individual makes a purchase , the image of the individual is added to the database along with any other information such as a credit card or bank account number and data of the customer &# 39 ; s current purchase . if the individual &# 39 ; s image has not previously been entered into the system , a manual identity check such as viewing a passport or driver &# 39 ; s license is performed . if the person &# 39 ; s image previously was entered into the system , the person &# 39 ; s identity can be verified through the various image and data comparisons without any manual identification check . a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described herein by way of example with respect to a sporting goods store . those of skill in the art will understanding applications of the present invention in many other environments . upon entry , the customer is already subject to constant surveillance for security reasons . in real time , the invention may use these same cameras or other cameras to capture an initial image which will be digitized and sent via lan or wireless lan to a computer where it will then be compared with a database of images . if a positive match is found , the computer will then search the database for the purchase history of the customer and determine the most suitable advertisement in the queue of advertisements . this advertisement will then be moved into the first position in the queue and be displayed on an advertisement monitor in the customer &# 39 ; s field of vision . for example , if the customer bought a golf club in the past , an advertisement for a sale on golf balls and their location within the store might be the most suitable advertisement for the customer and will thus be displayed next on the advertisement monitor . this process may be done at any location in the store as long as there is an advertisement monitor in the customer &# 39 ; s field of vision . an image of the customer may also be taken at the register during checkout and the same process may be applied . if the customer uses a credit card to purchase any items , the computer will search the database for a previous use of the credit card by the same customer . if a match is found , the clerk need not manually check the customer &# 39 ; s id since this was done for a previous purchase and found to be authentic . this will help to speed up the transaction , cut down on human error on the clerk &# 39 ; s behalf in positively confirming the identification of the customer , and make for a better overall shopping experience for the customer . this will also eliminate the need for all bonus or frequent shopper cards since the purchase history of all customers will be automatically recorded . alternatively , if there is no match or if there is a discrepancy between the credit card and the information in the database , the computer will display a message to the clerk and the clerk will manually authenticate the credit card and the image , the credit card data , and the purchase history will be added to the database for future use . in the case of a customer unlawfully using a stolen credit card , the customer &# 39 ; s image and the credit card information will be flagged for possible notification of law enforcement . this security embodiment of the invention may be implemented separate from or together with the advertising embodiment in the preceding paragraph and vice versa . a method of performing authentication , collecting data , and selecting personalized advertisements in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference fig1 - 4 . an image is acquired 300 , for example , upon entry to the store or upon checkout . the image is then digitized 302 , and the digitized image is compared to a database 304 . the system then looks for a match 305 . if there is no match 320 , the system may perform the steps in fig3 . if there is a match 306 , the system may perform the steps in fig2 . after the steps of fig2 are run , in an embodiment incorporating those steps , the system then determines payment type 307 . in this embodiment , if the customer uses a method of payment that is not a credit card , the system completes the sale and adds purchase history to the database 310 . in other embodiments , authentication may be implemented with respect to purchases by means other than credit cards , such as by check or by debit card . continuing with reference to fig1 , if the customer pays with a credit card , the system compares the digitized image data with card data in the database 308 . the system then determines if the card matches the image 309 . if there is a match , the system completes the sale and adds purchase history and the image to the database 322 . if there is not a match , the system determines if the name on the credit card matches 307 . if there is a match , the system completes the sale and adds purchase history , the image , and the credit card data to the database 324 . if there is not a match , the system displays a message to the clerk to check the customer &# 39 ; s id 312 . the clerk then determines if the id passes 311 . if the clerk inputs a positive match ( referred to here as a “ yes ” entry ) the system completes the sale and adds purchase history , the image , and the credit card data to the database 324 . if the clerk inputs no match ( referred to herein as a “ no ” entry ) the card is rejected , there is no sale 316 , and the system flags the image 318 in the database . fig2 is a flow chart of a plurality of steps that may be implemented together with fig1 . the system scans the database for the record of previous purchases 400 by the customer and then determines if the current customer is a previous customer 401 . if the customer is recognized as having made previous purchases , the system may run customer specific advertisements on the advertisement monitor behind the counter and / or generate customer specific coupons . if the customer is not recognized as having made previous purchases , the system may run a general advertisement or no advertisement on the advertisement monitor behind the counter . as noted previously , this advertisement portion of the invention need not be used together with the authentication portions of the invention and vice versa . fig3 is a flow chart of a plurality of steps that may be performed together with fig1 . the system adds the digitized image to the database 500 . the system then determines payment type 307 . if the customer uses a method of payment that is not a credit card , the system completes the sale and adds purchase history to the database 310 . if the customer pays with a credit card or other means that can be associated with the customer , the system inputs the credit card or other data 502 and compares the credit card or other data to the database 504 . the system then looks for a match 305 . if there is a match 506 , the system may perform the steps in fig4 . if there is no match , the system displays a message to the clerk to check the customer &# 39 ; s id 312 . the clerk then determines if the id passes 311 and types yes or no into the system . if the clerk enters “ yes ” the system completes the sale and adds purchase history , the image , and the credit card data to the database 324 . if the clerk enters “ no ” the card is rejected and there is no sale 316 and the system flags the image 318 . fig4 is a flow chart of steps that may be performed in conjunction with fig1 and / or 3 . the system retrieves the image associated with the credit card 600 and compares the retrieved image to the current image 604 . additionally the system may acquire a second image , digitize it , and compare it with the retrieved image 602 . the system then looks for a match 305 . if there is a match , the system completes the sale and adds purchase history , the image , and the credit card data to the database 324 . if there is not a match , the system displays a message to the clerk to check the customer &# 39 ; s id 312 . the clerk then determines if the id passes 311 and types yes or no into the system . if the clerk enters “ yes ” the system completes the sale and adds purchase history , the image , and the credit card data to the database 324 . if the clerk enters “ no ” the card is rejected and there is no sale 316 and the system flags the image 318 . fig5 is a diagram in which an image is acquired from video camera 210 and sent to a computer 200 that contains image recognition software 202 . the image is then compared to all images on in - store database 230 . if the customer swipes a credit card at credit card reader 260 , the information travels to computer 200 and is compared to all credit card information on in - store database 230 . fig6 is a more accurate and alternative view of the process in fig1 in which the video cameras 210 acquire an image of the customer in front of the registers 250 . the image is then sent via lan or wireless lan 204 to computer 200 and is compared with all images on in - store database 230 ( not shown ). if a match is found , a customer specific advertisement will be displayed on advertisement monitor 240 . if no match is found , a random advertisement will be displayed instead . if the customer swipes a credit card at credit card reader 260 , the information travels to computer 200 and is compared to all credit card information on in - store database 230 . fig7 is a diagram showing the connection between all in - store databases 230 and the central database 270 for all images and credit card information to be securely shared between all stores in the chain . fig8 is a diagram showing an alternative use for the patent in which the initial image is acquired by video camera 210 at the store entrance 270 upon the entry of the customer . the image is then sent to computer 200 and is compared with all images on in - store database 230 . if a match is found , a customer specific advertisement will be displayed on advertisement monitor 240 . if no match is found , a random advertisement will be displayed instead . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto , and their equivalents . the entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein .