That email? It's for real (almost)
Have you heard the story about the guy who called up Pizza Hut? They asked for his national ID number, and when he supplied it, they called up his "file", then recited his address to him. Next they discouraged him from ordering what he wanted because, according to his medical history, he really shouldn't be eating such unhealthy food. When he tried to pay by credit card, they told him they could only accept cash because the bank noted his credit card balance was over the limit. Sounds familiar? Chances are you got it in your email. I've seen it posted on two different blogs recently.
That story was written by a Malaysian blogger. It's been lifted from his site and circulated through email, as well as "modified" along the way to give it a more "international" flavour.
And the card in question is real. It exists.
All Malaysian citizens and permanent residents above the age of 12 are issued an identity card (IC). We are supposed to carry it around at all times. The IC number is always required when filling in official forms, entering contests, etc. It is literally your ID, it proves you are who you say you are. If you want to open a banking account or withdraw cash over the counter at the bank, you have to show your IC. If the traffic police stops you for any reason, you have to show your IC. You get the idea.
Previously the card used to be just a laminated piece of paper with a passport-sized photo and thumbprints, plus information such as your name, date of birth, gender, address, and citizenship. In 1999, the government introduced a "smartcard" (called the MyKad) which has an embedded microchip in it and is supposed to not only hold personal details, but health and banking information. The driver's licence is also incorporated into it. You are supposed to be able to store a certain amount of credit on it and use it as a debit card of sorts. The Malaysian government is very proud of our high-tech IC and of the computerisation of the whole national registration system.
We have always had the card, probably since Independence in 1957. It's something we've always lived with and so tend to take for granted. If you lose your IC (for example, say, you were pickpocketed) you need to make a police report, take a copy of that report and apply for a new IC at the National Registration Department. You simply can't not have one. It's the system.
So if you received that email and enjoyed a good laugh over some writer with a great deal of imagination and too much paranoia -- let me tell you that his scenario is grounded in reality. Who knows, all too soon, Malaysians could really be having that same telephone conversation with Pizza Hut's delivery service.
(Read what the watchdog human rights group Privacy International has to say about the MyKad.)
And please, if you are going to forward the mail to all your friends and family, do credit the original writer. There's of course not much he can do about this, but it's infuriating to have your work circulated without acknowledgement.