Vital Records Digitization & Fraud Guard

Vital Records Digitization & Fraud Guard brings paper and microfilm birth and death records into a searchable, indexed archive, and manages every request for a certified copy from application to issuance. Requesters' identity and eligibility are checked against your state's rules before anything is printed, and each certificate carries security features and a verification code that relying agencies can check. Every search, view, issuance and void is recorded, so the registrar can show who received which record and why.

The problem it solves

Birth and death certificates are breeder documents: a fraudulently obtained birth certificate can be used to get a driver's license, passport or benefits in someone else's name. Many vital records offices still search paper ledgers, index cards and microfilm by hand, check identity at the counter with photocopies, and track security paper stock in a logbook. When a fraudulent issuance is discovered, it is hard to tell who searched the record, what identification was accepted and which sheet of security paper was used.

Who it’s for

• State registrars and vital records directors
• County and city registrars and clerks who issue certified copies
• Counter and mail-order issuance staff
• Records management and digitization teams
• Inspectors general and auditors who review issuance controls

1. DigitizePaper registers, certificates and microfilm are scanned, indexed and quality checked into a searchable archive, with the original image kept alongside the indexed data.
2. RequestApplications arrive at the counter, by mail or online, and each records the requester, their relationship to the registrant and the identification they presented.
3. VerifyBefore a record is released, Fraud Guard checks the request against fraud indicators and holds anything unusual for review by a trained verifier.
4. IssueApproved requests are printed on numbered security paper with a verification code, and each sheet used, spoiled or voided is accounted for.

Indexed digital archive

Birth, death and related records searchable by name, date, place and parents, with the scanned image shown beside the indexed data.

Digitization batches

Track each book, folder or microfilm reel from intake to release, with image counts, indexing progress and quality results.

Two-pass indexing review

A second person checks a sample of indexed records against the image before a batch is released, and corrections are logged.

Eligibility rules

Your state's rules on who may receive a certified copy, by record type and age of record, applied to every request and shown to the clerk.

Identity checks

Accepted identification documents recorded at the counter, and online requests proofed through the identity verification service you choose.

Fraud indicators

Requests flagged for review when the registrant is deceased, the record carries a fraud flag, or the same record is requested repeatedly by different people.

Death matching

Birth records are linked to matching death records in your system, so a request for a deceased person's birth certificate is held for review.

Security paper inventory

Numbered security paper received, assigned to offices and printers, used, spoiled and voided, with a reconciliation at the end of each day.

Certificate verification code

Each issued certificate carries a code that a relying agency can check to confirm the certificate was issued by your office and has not been voided.

Amendments and sealed records

Corrections, amendments, adoptions and court-ordered changes recorded with the supporting documents, and sealed originals restricted to the roles you choose.

Fraud case log

Suspected fraud recorded with the related requests, identification and issued certificates, ready to refer to law enforcement or your inspector general.

Complete audit trail

Every search, view, print, void and release recorded with the person and time, and exportable for audit.

Issuance clerk

Takes applications, records identification, searches records and prints approved certificates

Fraud verifier

Reviews held requests and decides whether to issue, ask for more documents or deny

Digitization technician

Scans and indexes historical records and corrects indexing errors

Amendments specialist

Processes corrections, amendments and court-ordered changes to records

Registrar

Owns issuance policy and security paper, approves sealed-record access and sees the whole office

Auditor (read-only)

Reviews issuance, inventory and the audit trail without changing anything

Electronic birth and death registration

New births and deaths registered in your existing electronic registration systems are loaded into the archive for issuance.

Identity verification service

Online requesters are proofed through the identity verification provider your office contracts with, and the result is kept with the request.

Electronic Verification of Vital Events (EVVE)

Where your jurisdiction participates in NAPHSIS's EVVE service, issued certificate data and death flags can be made available through it.

Payment processor

Fees are collected through your existing payment processor or cashiering system. Moraph does not hold funds.

Scanning and imaging

Images from your scanners or a digitization vendor are imported by batch with their metadata.

Security paper printers

Certificates print to the printers your office uses for security paper, with the paper serial recorded at print time.

Single sign-on

Staff sign in through your identity provider (SAML or OpenID Connect).

Work API

Request, issuance and inventory data available to your reporting tools through the Moraph Work API.

Single sign-on

Staff sign in through your identity provider, so your password and multi-factor policies apply.

Role-based access

What each person can see and do follows their role; sealed records and fraud flags are limited to the roles you choose.

Encryption and keys

Client data is encrypted, with keys Moraph staff cannot use without explicit, time-bound authorization.

Complete audit trail

Every search, view, print, void and export is logged with the person and time, and cannot be edited.

US-only hosting

Data for US government clients is hosted in the United States region only.

Tested releases

Every release passes security testing gates before it ships, and a software bill of materials is kept for the product.

Moraph cloud (US)

Hosted and operated by Moraph in the United States region.

Dedicated environment

A single-tenant environment for states whose policies require isolation, scoped in the proposal.

With a managed service

Optionally run alongside a Moraph managed service for digitization project support and platform administration.

Records inventory

We inventory your paper, microfilm and existing electronic records with your records staff and agree the order in which they will be digitized.

Data migration

Indexes and images from your current systems are mapped and loaded, and a sample is checked against the source before cutover. We need extracts and a contact from your current vendor or IT team.

Eligibility and fraud rules

Your state's eligibility rules, accepted identification and fraud indicators are configured and reviewed with the registrar before go-live.

Security paper and printing

Printers, certificate templates and security paper stock are set up, and the reconciliation procedure agreed with each issuing office.

Workflow and roles

Offices, queues, review steps and roles are configured to match your procedures and any delegation to county or city offices.

Training and go-live

Clerks, verifiers and supervisors are trained on their own workflows, and issuing offices go live in an order you choose.

• It is not a birth or death registration system. New events are registered in your existing electronic registration systems and loaded into the archive.
• Eligibility rules, accepted identification and fraud indicators are your office's decisions under your state's law; Fraud Guard applies and records them but does not set them.
• It does not supply security paper. Paper, printers and the physical security features on the paper come from your existing suppliers.
• Fraud indicators surface requests for review; they do not establish that fraud occurred. A trained person decides every held request.
• Indexing quality depends on the condition of the source records. Damaged or illegible originals may need manual research.
• Physical scanning of records is done by your staff or a digitization vendor; Moraph can scope scanning services separately.
• Participation in EVVE or other national verification services depends on your jurisdiction's own agreements.
• Fees are collected through your payment processor. Moraph does not hold funds.

• Load a sample batch of your own scanned records and review the indexing and quality steps
• Walk a counter request and an online request from application to printed certificate
• Check that your state's eligibility rules can be expressed for each record type
• Trigger a held request and review what the verifier sees and records
• Reconcile a day of security paper use, including a spoiled and a voided sheet
• Confirm role separation: who can print, void, unseal and approve