Law against ID theft tied to college ‘necessary’

A recent scandal in which two individuals in Shandong province have been accused of stealing other people’s identities and test scores to get into universities has shocked the nation and prompted national legislators to propose adding a new crime to the country’s Criminal Law.

They said it is “necessary” and “urgent” to make it clear that identity theft is a crime, given its harm to society and justice.

Discipline authorities in Shandong on Monday night released the investigative report on two highprofile cases in which two residents in Liaocheng city allegedly stole the identities and scores of two students to enroll in college.

One case occurred in 1996 and the other in 2004. The two victims had no idea that their identities had been stolen and thus lost the chance to obtain higher education. A total of 46 people were held accountable in the two cases, and the province is investigating some similar cases from 1999 to 2006, it said.

However, the punishments, including being expelled from the Communist Party of China, being removed from work posts or having diplomas rescinded, are far from enough, according to national legislators.