The attorney general’s office and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Thursday warned of a scam from unauthorized third-party vendors who offer to provide certified copies of birth certificates.

“Too many consumers pay these unapproved third-party vendors for sub-par service at an exorbitant price,” said A. Alex Quintana, the director of vital records. “Some consumers spent three to four times the fee charged by the state and have to wait longer to get their certificates compared to ordering from the options” on the state’s website.

The vital records office reported that it receives approximately 2,800 requests for birth certificates each month. Half of those are from third-party vendors. The companies charge a fee beyond what the state requires for only providing the application.

VitalChek, one of the state’s approved vendors, charges less than $47, not including shipping, to order a birth certificate online. GoCertificates, another authorized vendor, lists a price of $28 for a certified birth certificate for a birth in Denver. In addition to ordering online, people can obtain certificates by phone, mail or through their county’s vital records office.

Sam Vasquez of the state vital records office said that unapproved vendors increase the processing time for the state and can contain errors in the order.

“For example, the birth certificate fee changed a year ago, but the fraudulent companies do not reflect this update. Our office receives a high volume of orders that contain the incorrect fee, which we cannot accept, so we have to reject the order and return the entire request,” Vasquez said.