Safeguards for Vital Statistics

Abstract

V ITAL RECORDS are an important national resource. Their data provide society and the individual with a basis upon which to determine many rights, duties, privileges, and responsibilities. A fundamental right like citizenship may be established by the place of birth. Social security, veterans, or pension benefits may bie affected by date of birth. The settlement of insurance claims may hinge upon establishing the recorded fact, manner, and cause of Because such personal and monetary stakes can hinge upon these records, certain people have attempted without scruple to perpetrate fraudulent registrations. Even ordinarily honest persons have, at times, tried to bend the truth. To illustrate this situation, a few selected cases are set forth below. These are among the few in which the defrauders were. apprehended. It is difficult to estimate how many sueh frauds are undetected. About 8 years ago, a man living in a northeastern State, discovering tha.t it was possible to make a better income dead than alive, arranged to file a death certificate for himself. The fraud was not discovered until he and his family had collected more than $40,000 in welfare and veterans benefits. Because he had legally changed his name prior to filing the death certificate, he was even able to continue at his usual residence and work while his family cashed in on his death. A few years ago, a far western city jailed a man who had in his possession three passports and seven birth certificates, all bearing different names. In addition, he had a list of birth facts for more than 20 other persons. Inquiries to appropriate vital records offices established that, with the exception of one birth fact on one record, the listing was complete and accurate. Interrogation of the suspect soon revealed the purpose of the listing. He had applied to various local registration offices for fictitious records. When they could not be located, he simply asked to look at the index personally on the pretext that names had been misspelled. It was no feat then for him to memorize birth facts of valid records, so that he could apply for copies as though they were his own. A galling aspect of this case was that offices from which he had fraudulently obtained copies of records either did not require or did not keep applications for records. He could not be prosecuted for impersonation, but, following questioning, which divulged his objectives, he committed suicide in jail. Birth records are a valuable aid to espionage agents. In August 1952 a woman agent was taken into custody trying to enter the. United States from Canada. She was attempting to masquerade as an American citizen, using an authentic copy of a birth certificate, previously issued to an American citizen. Less than a year later, another agent responsible for the theft of important military information was arrested in New York City posing as an American photographer under the name of Emil R. Goldfus. In 1952 a Federal agent was assigned to investigate a delayed birth registration filed for a notorious hoodlum in a middle Atlantic State. His search of building permits turned up tlhe fact that the house where the hoodlum was allegedly born was not built until 4 years after the professed birth date. Another 4 years of investigation was needed, however, to gTet sufficient evidence to rebut the delayed birtlh Mr. Schuler is acting chief of the Registration Methods Branch, National Vital Statistics Divisio , Putblic Health Service.