After 17 years without ID, Haikou woman reunites with father, discovers Vietnamese illegal migrant stole her identity for marriage and bank accounts. DNA test now allows new ID and baby's birth certificate.
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Source: OT-Team(G), 红星新闻
After spending 17 years separated from her family and living without any valid identification, a woman from Haikou has finally reconnected with her father with the help of police. The case has also uncovered a years-long identity theft scheme in which her household registration and identity were allegedly used by a Vietnamese national who had entered China illegally.
The woman, identified by the pseudonym Xiaofang, made her first contact with her father on June 18 through a police-arranged video call. According to her family, her father recognized her immediately after seeing her on screen for the first time in nearly two decades.
Left Home at 16 and Lost Her Legal Identity
Xiaofang, whose registered name is Wang Moufang, was born in Haikou, Hainan Province, in 1993. She said her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her father, uncle and grandparents. Due to financial hardship, she dropped out of school during her first year of junior high.
In 2009, at the age of 16, she left home with people from her village to look for work, taking temporary jobs in Haikou, Sanya and later Xi'an.
"At first I simply didn't want to go home," she said. "Later, when I wanted to return, I had no ID card, and I couldn't make my way back."
Without a national ID card, she was unable to obtain formal employment or access many basic public services. She could not open bank accounts, register mobile phone services, buy train tickets or check into hotels. To avoid questions about her missing identity documents, she adopted the unofficial name "Xiaoli," which she used for years without any legal registration.
Newborn Child Unable to Obtain Birth Certificate
In 2025, Xiaofang met her boyfriend, identified as Mr. Wang. Their child was born at a hospital in Xi'an in April.
Because Xiaofang had no valid identification, hospital staff notified police. Local officers were unable to locate any household registration records under her information, preventing the issuance of the child's birth certificate and delaying household registration procedures.
Mr. Wang spent weeks trying to trace her identity through authorities in Xi'an before eventually contacting police in Haikou.
According to Mr. Wang, local police initially informed him that Xiaofang had already married and transferred her household registration to Wenchang, another city in Hainan. The information surprised the couple, as Xiaofang had never married.
On June 18, police provided contact information for her father, leading to the emotional family reunion.
On June 25, Mr. Wang drove Xiaofang and their newborn more than 2,100 kilometers from Xi'an to Haikou. The following day, her family hosted a banquet to celebrate her return after 17 years.
Police Discover Identity Had Been Used for Years
The family's reunion soon led to an even more startling discovery.
After finding her original household registration booklet and birth certificate at home, Xiaofang reported the suspected identity theft to Shishan Police Station under the Xiuying Branch of the Haikou Public Security Bureau on July 2.
Police officially opened an administrative investigation on July 6.
According to Mr. Wang, investigators informed him on July 7 that Xiaofang's identity had been fraudulently used for years by a Vietnamese woman who had illegally entered China. Police described the woman as a "three-illegal" migrant—a term commonly used in China to refer to foreigners involved in illegal entry, illegal residence and illegal employment.
Investigators believe the woman was smuggled into China by human traffickers, commonly known in Chinese as "snakeheads." According to police, the smugglers allegedly worked with an intermediary who obtained a Chinese resident identity card using Xiaofang's personal information.
Authorities have since seized the suspect's Chinese identity card, bank cards and other documents, and have asked relevant government departments to revoke fraudulently obtained documents, including her identity card and marriage certificate.
Identity Allegedly Used to Build an Entire Civil Life
According to information provided to Mr. Wang by police, the Vietnamese woman allegedly registered a marriage in Wenchang in 2013 while using Xiaofang's identity.
The following year, Xiaofang's household registration was transferred from Xiuying District in Haikou to Wenchang without her knowledge.
For more than a decade afterward, the suspect is believed to have continued using Xiaofang's identity to obtain bank cards, mobile phone numbers and accounts on major Chinese digital platforms, including WeChat and Alipay.
The case has raised broader questions about how Xiaofang's personal information was obtained and how someone was able to acquire official identity documents under another person's name. Mr. Wang said he hopes investigators will determine how the information was leaked and whether others were involved in facilitating the fraudulent registration.
DNA Test Required Before New ID Can Be Issued
To restore Xiaofang's legal identity, police have arranged a DNA test to confirm her relationship with her father. Authorities say a new identity card can only be issued after the test results are completed.
On July 14, staff at Shishan Police Station confirmed to reporters that the DNA testing had been completed and that a new ID card would be processed once the biological relationship is officially verified. They added that the identity theft investigation remains ongoing.
For Xiaofang, obtaining a legal identity is now essential not only for rebuilding her own life after 17 years without official documentation, but also for allowing her newborn child to receive a birth certificate and complete household registration procedures. Meanwhile, police continue investigating how her identity was allegedly stolen and used for more than a decade by an illegal migrant.
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