The Pennsylvania Department of Health said it will implement a stricter policy for citizens who wish to obtain birth and death certificates in an attempt to prevent identity theft. The announcement was made Jan. 16, and the policy goes into effect Feb. 1.

These measures are the result of a growing number of cases involving identity theft and fraudulent activity throughout the state. The Department of Health cited 350 cases of potential fraudulent use of birth certificates last year. "There have been a lot of cases where information is missing on birth certificates or people have sounded suspicious over the phone," said Jessica Seiders, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health. "We need to really make sure that all of their information is verifiable."

The Division of Vital Records within the Pennsylvania Department of Health handles birth and death records for the state. The new policy requires photo identification for all who wish to obtain birth and death certificates. Photo ID was not necessary in the past. People can still request records via mail, Internet, fax, legislative messengers or in person at a Division of Vital Records public office. However, telephone requests will no longer be accepted. A revised application will also require the requester to sign a "statement of entitlement" as proof of identity. Those individuals attempting false requests will have more evidence against them, Seiders said.

The cost of the request is $4, and the credit card used must match the name and address of the requester. A personal identification number on the card will also help eliminate fraud. Seiders said certified copies of birth records are often necessary as proof of age and citizenship for school, travel, Social Security and government benefits. Death certificates are used in insurance claims and estate settlements.

"We've been aware of the growing trends of fraudulent activity in the past year and a half and we have joint concern with legislators about this problem," Seiders said. Sen. Corman, R-Centre, chairman of the Senate Communications and High Technology Committee has made fighting identity theft one of his main goals. "This fraud is directly linked to identity theft, which is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the nation," Corman said in a press release.

Don Houser, executive assistant to Corman, said before this new policy, the process was too easy.