In 2005, a woman surnamed Cheng transferred Liu's ID number and hukou certificate to the Dongcheng district of Beijing, which led to Liu's household registration in her hometown being nullified in 2010, according to a report issued by Beijing police on May 2.

"That is to say, I had not existed since 2010," Liu said.

An investigation showed that having graduated from a vocational school in Henan in July 2004, Cheng had tried to find a job in Beijing, but her attempts were stymied by a ruling that all graduates of universities outside the capital must provide proof of a degree.

With that in mind, one of Liu's colleagues, who was a friend of Cheng, borrowed Liu's graduation certificate issued by Henan University to help Cheng apply for a job in the capital.

Once in possession of the certificate, Cheng's father used it to help his daughter find a job in Beijing and also "transferred" Liu's hukou and ID card to the capital.

Later, when the authorities began a crackdown on ID fraud, they discovered the anomaly, but rather than investigating the case, the police in Beijing and Henan simply canceled Liu's hukou in Henan.

When the deception was uncovered, police in Beijing revoked Cheng's Beijing residency permit and issued Liu with a new one on April 30. Liu said she didn't really question why her colleague wanted to use her graduation certificate, but she never expected so much "drama" to result from her actions.

The police said investigations are ongoing and suitable punishments are being considered for the police officers involved.

Calls for tougher punishments

Ruan, the criminal lawyer, said that he had encountered similar cases when dealing with unrelated legal issues for clients in the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu.

He said incorrect and duplicated identity information is a result of the unregulated nature of work in the public security departments. He urged officials to implement the law in a stricter, more transparent way: "If not, they could face criminal liability charges."

Under the current Criminal Law, anyone who fabricates false certificates faces between three and 10 years in prison.