Bill would tighten Vermont birth certificate access [View all]

It's easy to get a certified copy of a Vermont birth or death certificate — and state officials say the antiquated system leaves Vermonters vulnerable to fraud and identity theft.

Anyone from any place can file a request for an official Vermont record, without having to show identification. Only two other states, Ohio and Kentucky, have similarly lax laws, according to a report two years ago that cited multiple cases of Vermont birth certificate fraud.

"Anybody can get a copy of a Vermonter's certified copy of their birth certificate," said Rep. Dennis Devereux, R-Mount Holly, who worked on the issue this year in the House Government Operations Committee. "They can be from Russia, they can get a passport, and they can come here. ... That certified fraud paper is worth thousands of dollars on the open market, and it's been a real concern for me having been born in Vermont."

"Talking to citizens, they’re aghast that this is even happening," Wolcott Town Clerk Linda Martin said in a telephone interview.

Read more: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/29/bill-would-tighten-vt-birth-certificate-access/99741094/