By Pang Qi

The personal information of the 2011 national Civil Service Examination (CSE) candidates was leaked and may have been used in connection with a cheating scam before the exam took place, according to an online post, Yangcheng Evening Post reported.

A netizen indentified as Rangaifeiyang (or Rang) online who is based in Urumchi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, received a text message saying that candidates could buy the answers to the 2011 national CSE before the exam is held.

During chats on the Chinese instant-messaging service QQ, Rang had noticed that all his personal information which he had used to register online for the CSE had been obtained by someone using the online name Yunkaozaixian (Yun). Rang could not understand how Yun had gained access to this personal information
Rang was not the only one whose data had been leaked for illegal use, as many of his friends encountered the same problem.

“I gave several phone numbers of my friends to Yun, and he immediately replied to me with all their details including ID number, home address, the posts applied, and so on”, said Rang.

Other netizens have also encountered similar situations. Daxiaozhanhua (Da), a candidate who registered for a provincial CSE last year, even received messages from several training institutions, indicating that he had passed the written exam and inviting him to attend interview training.

According to Yangcheng Evening Post, Yun was not only able to get the personal information of the candidates – he also offered the CSE answers with a rate of accuracy of over 75 percent, and he gave the answers through a specific QQ account after the transfer of funds. Yun was quoted by Chinese media as saying that he is very skilled in this business.

But Yun seems to have disappeared on Sunday, the day of the CSE. He appeared to be offline when the Global Times tried to talk with him, and a rejection message automatically appeared when a reporter tried to add him as QQ friend, stating “not adding new friends, no entry for nasty reporters.”

Rang and other candidates worry that their exposed personal information will be used illegally in other ways, such as counterfeiting ID cards or money laundering.

In addition, candidates also think that it is unfair if some candidates had access to the answers of the exam.
Yunnan netizens also reported similar cases.

Candidates are hoping the media will help them figure out who is leaking their information, and how some institutions could have access to the test results before they are made public.

“If there is some sort of an inside job in even the nationwide exam which concerns 1.4 million people, who can we trust?” asked the candidates.