Faster than you
image by betta design on flickr.com
A couple of days ago I called the India consulate in Sydney, Australia. Turns out they have a new process to get a five year business visa issued:
- Complete all the documentation necessary. This means download and print forms, complete them by hand, etc.
- Scan all the documents and your passport
- Email them to the consulate for approval
At this stage I stopped the representative on the phone and asked her – did you just say you want me to EMAIL you a copy of my passport? She replied with the affirmative. Could I come in person or send it by courier? No. Only email.
I congratulate the India consulate for embracing technology and using email for daily operations, allowing me to communicate electronically with the consulate. On the other hand, I think that their procedures need to be revised in as far as sending private information unprotected over the Internet is concerned.
I opted to apply for a one year visa instead, at a greater cost (the one year visa costs about half of what the 5 year does and I will have to get another one) but without going through with this procedure. I wonder how many people don’t think twice before complying. Actually, having seen people sending credit card numbers (complete with names, billing addresses and CVV) over email, I know that most people will comply with these instructions.
Two hikers walk in the wood and encounter a bear. One hiker immediately pulls a pair of running shoes and puts them on. His friend looks at him in terror and amazement and yells at him – “You can’t outrun a bear!” to which he replies – “I don’t need to be faster than the bear; I only need to be faster than you”.
I would like to use this opportunity to thank those people. Thank you! You make my life easier. By being the low-hanging fruit for identity thieves, identity fodder if you will, you allow me relative safety from identity theft by following a few very rudimentary safety precautions; See, I don’t need to be perfectly protected from identity theft, I only need to my identity to be harder to steal than your identity.
Shana Tova