Kidnappers, take heed — you will need more than a key code to break into new high-tech child care centers, which are turning to biometrics for security.

You can't say nobody saw Pay By Touch's demise coming. Remember the recent college grad Pay By Touch CEO John Rogers said he would sic a former Israeli secret agent on? Here's an executive summary of the paper he wrote back in 2004 titled "Credit Card Fraud, Biometrics, and the Pay By Touch Method."

John Rogers, the founder of biometrics startup Pay By Touch, has filed for personal bankruptcy, the San Francisco Business Times reports. On top of that, four employees are seeking $60,000 or more in back pay from the company, and are trying to force Pay By Touch into bankruptcy to get what they're owed. Pay By Touch is not actually in bankruptcy yet, and the company could try to oppose the move in court or come to a settlement. Rogers, who has a controversial past, holds two-thirds of the company. But investors who have arranged a $163 million loan for the company are suing in a dispute over the makeup of the board. Add that credit line to the $190 million in venture capital the company has raised. With $350 million in stake, you'd think investors would be fighting over how to salvage something from this troubled company.

Despite glowing reviews in the press for its biometric payment system, "serial venture raisers (and huge burners)" Pay By Touch is going under, a tipster tells us — and hints that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is possible. Apparently founder and chairman John Rogers has gone missing after a tenure marked by what our tipster called a "spend big, live big, party big, girls, drugs, meals binge of a global scale." Sounds like a fun way to burn through nearly $200 million, raised from the likes of Mobius Venture Capital, the Getty family, and Global Trust Ventures. In a very unusual move, Global Trust cofounder Robert Sigler joined the company as its CFO in July. As far as we've heard, investors never get their hands dirty working at a company in their portfolio — unless they suspect something's going seriously wrong, and they want to pore over the books. Any idea what Sigler has been seeing? Tell us more.

Some gasoline purchasers in Chicago can now purchase gas using fingerprint scanners installed at pumps and cash registers at Shell stations. Customers will have their fingerprints scanned at a machine inside the station and then can purchase gas by swiping their finger, rather than a credit card. One store manager said "I think it scares people. They're more confused about the whole system. Some of them say, 'Well, now the FBI can find me.'" We doubt the FBI will be on their tail, but at least they can still buy gas with cash, unlike iPhone purchasers. [AP]