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jbelmont
California
3106 Posts |
 Posted - 06/13/2010 : 11:44:21 PM
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As a notary, it is your job to deter fraud in any way you can. The whole point of your profession is to ensure the integrity of a signature. Many notaries are sophisticated in knowing many ways to deter fraud, while others, don't even know the minimal legal requirements of their state.
(1) Journals
If you keep a journal and keep thorough journal entries on each notary act you do, there is written evidence of each notary act you did. If you ever are questioned, the evidence you have can keep you out of court in many cases.
(2) Additional notes in journals
If you keep a note of unusual situations during the signing, unusual venue conditions, or unusual behavior of the signer, this will refresh your memory in the unlikely situation that you are questioned or need to go to court becuase the signer committed fraud.
(3) Thumbprints in journals
If you keep a thumbprint of each signer for each journal entry you do, especially for Powers of Attorney and Deeds effecting real property, you are safeguarding yourself against fraud and have proof of the identity of the signer. ID's can be faked, signatures can be forged, but thumbprints can not be faked.
(4) Embossers
If you use a non-inked embosser on EACH page of EVERY document you notarize -- in addition to your regular inked seal which goes on the certificate section ONLY -- you can deter fraud. You can not get away with swapping page eight of a document after the fact if every page is embossed. This is really important for multi-page documents.
(5) Understand how to identify a fake ID.
If you require a proper identification for all notary acts, you reduce the chance of fraud. Using credible witnesses is legal in many states, but not a reliable way to identify a signer as the credible witnesses might not know the signers exact name. ID's are usually very reliable. Beware of ID's that look tampered with. Peeling lamination, or a signature on top of the lamination are warning signs. Missing information, or non-standard looking ID design are other warning signs. You can purchase a book from the NNA about identifying fraudulent ID's so that you can be on top of your game.
(6) Make sure the signer understands what they are signing. The elderly are the most common victems of fraud. People who are their relatives, or claim to be their relatives try to get elderly people in hospitals to sign all kinds of documents. Make sure the elderly person can explain in their own words what they are signing, or they might be getting taken for a ride.
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Ways to deter fraud
