Home
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Shanghai sorting out a sustainable future
Rural tourism: Success depends on more than just green fields and a nostalgic idyll
Sunday
- Subscribe
Personal info on tickets
By Zha Minjie |
July 15, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THROW away your used bullet train tickets and get your personal information leaked.
People have found that the bar code on the train tickets can be decoded by software downloaded from the Internet. Information such as passport or other ID numbers, which are partly concealed on the tickets, will then be revealed.
In a recent test, a passenger surnamed Zhou downloaded software to a cell phone and scanned the bar code with the cell phone camera. Information including the departure time and the passenger ID number began to show on the cell phone "within seconds," Zhou said.
Industry insiders said there's no way to prevent the decoding. Shanghai railway police said passengers should tear the used tickets apart before discarding them to prevent them from being used in illegal ways.
They warned that the data could be used to make fake ID cards to use in identity theft and other crimes.
There are 23 kinds of documents that can be used to purchase tickets. Foreigners can buy tickets with their passports, temporary residence permits, exit-entry permits, and diplomatic certificates. The information is stored for security purposes and also is aimed at ticket scalping.
Police said they did not know of any ticket-related scams or decoding since June 1, when a new bullet train ticketing system took effect that now includes the high-speed train between Shanghai and Beijing.
People have found that the bar code on the train tickets can be decoded by software downloaded from the Internet. Information such as passport or other ID numbers, which are partly concealed on the tickets, will then be revealed.
In a recent test, a passenger surnamed Zhou downloaded software to a cell phone and scanned the bar code with the cell phone camera. Information including the departure time and the passenger ID number began to show on the cell phone "within seconds," Zhou said.
Industry insiders said there's no way to prevent the decoding. Shanghai railway police said passengers should tear the used tickets apart before discarding them to prevent them from being used in illegal ways.
They warned that the data could be used to make fake ID cards to use in identity theft and other crimes.
There are 23 kinds of documents that can be used to purchase tickets. Foreigners can buy tickets with their passports, temporary residence permits, exit-entry permits, and diplomatic certificates. The information is stored for security purposes and also is aimed at ticket scalping.
Police said they did not know of any ticket-related scams or decoding since June 1, when a new bullet train ticketing system took effect that now includes the high-speed train between Shanghai and Beijing.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
