Beijing Woman Finds Stranger Entered Home Via Fingerprint Lock

A Beijing woman has claimed that an unknown man repeatedly entered her apartment by unlocking the smart fingerprint door, raising concerns about the security of such devices.

The woman, surnamed Jiao, told The Beijing News that surveillance footage captured a man unlocking her door three times with his fingerprint on the morning of October 19.

Jiao said the intruder did not steal anything but caused damage and left urine throughout the home, even sleeping inside. Jiao has reported the case to police. The incident has since sparked public debate about the reliability of smart home technology.

She added that the security door and lock were purchased together in 2024.

A regional sales manager for the manufacturer said the incident might have been caused by "very similar fingerprints," which can increase a system's false acceptance rate – though such cases are extremely rare.

The company has taken back the lock for factory inspection to determine what went wrong.