Due to the upcoming Olympics and the recent Tibetan riots, security as been tightened around the country. The other night, I was cooking dinner in my apartment when the doorbell rang.
Usually, the doorman downstairs calls me if it is someone they don’t know coming to visit me, to get my permission to let him/her up. If it is a friend that they recognize, they are allowed to come up without ringing.
So I assumed incorrectly that the doorbell meant that a friend was waiting, as there was no call from downstairs. I opened the door, however, and there stood 2 men in uniform, asking me for my identification. I asked them to please wait outside, and I closed the door and locked it. I first called the person from our company who is responsible for expatriates and asked if this was normal procedure. She confirmed that it has happened more often lately due to the heightened security.
Meanwhile, I heard the officers go next door. I opened my door up and saw that my Chinese neighbors were giving their ID numbers and personal information as if it were normal procedure. Then I called the management of my apartment to confirm that they were legit. My doorman confirmed called me to confirm.
(I didn't take a picture, but the green uniforms and face expressions are pretty representative...)So in the end, after 5 minutes of stalling, I gave two strangers who knocked on my door my passport number, date of birth, address (obviously), and cell phone number, and I was left to finish my cooking with an uneasy feeling that I broke a number 1 rule: to not give your personal information to strangers, especially if they are the ones to solicit it, and especially if they come knocking on your door. Somehow, this tightened security makes me feel less safe than ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment