Woman's stolen college dream is now restored

A victim of identity theft has received a college acceptance letter in Luoyang, Henan province, and now has a chance to realize her dream.

Wang Nana, 34, said she registered as a freshman majoring in marketing at the Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, using the acceptance letter on Sept 18, something that she has dreamed about for 14 years.

"I am joining in military training with my classmates on the playground now," she told China Daily.

She said she was emotionally moved when she received the acceptance letter.

In 2003, she took the national college entrance exam, or gaokao. However, another woman - Zhang Yingying - stole Wang's ID and entered Zhoukou Vocational and Technical College in Zhoukou, Henan.

She never learned that she had been admitted to college until she applied for a bank loan in 2015. She discovered that her hopes for a better future had been upstaged by Zhang.

Zhang later graduated with a certificate that carried her own photograph but Wang's name and ID number, landing a job as a teacher at a vocational school.

The truth came out in March 2016. After a police investigation, nine officials were punished and Zhang's student status was revoked.

A bribe paid by Zhang's father, combined with lax record keeping in Zhoukou allowed Zhang to assume Wang's spot and graduate with a degree. Zhang and her father were both convicted of bribery and fraud in 2016.

Wang Qian contributed to this story.