UK-based fintech Sticky has launched an NFC-enabled branded sticker system called Halo to enable anyone in a pub or bar who thinks their drink may have been spiked to summon help by tapping the sticker with their phone.

When the sticker is tapped, it sends an emergency distress call to a trained member of staff in the club or bar who then responds immediately. As it uses NFC technology, the system doesn’t require an app download, just NFC capability, which most modern phones have to facilitate contactless payments among other things. Pubs and bars can subscribe to Halo for from £19 per month and the system can be set up to alert called different people depending on where in the bar the victim is.

“The Halo sticker works with just one tap of a phone, said Sticky CEO, James Garner. “If someone is in distress they simply tap the sticker and it sends a Halo alert to the designated person in the venue who responds. It means help can be on hand within seconds and is a clear sign that venues are taking the issue seriously.

“Latest figures from police show that there were nearly 200 confirmed cases of drink spiking in September and October alone, with 24 reports of people being spiked through an injection.”

Sticky is using contactless technology and branded stickers to provide solutions to a range of problems, from ordering food in seconds to helping increase donations to charities and improving education in some of the world’s poorest countries.