Abstract: A system and method are provided for uniquely identifying an individual. An authentication device captures a biometric scan for the purpose of verifying the identity of an individual, and then, an authentication server determines whether the captured biometric image matches a master image. Some embodiments involve the execution of a digital subtraction process, more specifically, normalizing and aligning the biometric image in determining whether or not there is a match. After determining there is a match between the biometric scan and the master image, a user is allowed access or a transaction is allowed to occur.