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December 6, 2018

Jurat – Definition

Filed under: Notary Acts & Certificates — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 10:24 am

A Jurat is a Notary act where the signer or affiant must sign and swear (or affirm), both in the presence of the Notary Public. The signer gets to choose whether they wish to swear under God under Oath or affirm on their honor — both acts are done under the penalty of perjury.

Jurats are the second most common Notary act next to Acknowledgments.

There is no prescribed Oath verbiage, however, the word swear should be used, and there should be a reference to the truthfulness of the document. The Notary could have the affiant raise their right hand and ask, “Do you solemnly swear under God and under the penalty of perjury that this document is true and correct to the best of your knowledge?”

A Jurat also requires a Jurat certificate. And the certificate must confirm to state specific rules and have state specific verbiage. Verbiage differs from state to state, but the language, “Subscribed and sworn to before me by (name) on (date)” is common.

Related Links

Jurat wording step by step
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7875

What is a Jurat?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6937

Notary verbiage for Jurats
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2088

Notary Public Information
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20075

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Do you need a thumbprint on a jurat?
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Example of jurat

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November 20, 2018

123notary’s Index of Popular Notary Articles

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:34 am

I am not sure how this is going to go, because there are more than a thousand articles on our site. So, wish me luck and I hope this post is valuable.

COURSES
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20276
Beginner Notaries 103 Course – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21112
Notary Etiquette 104 – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21132

TECHNICAL POSTS
Journals — http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20272
Certificates — http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20268
Notary Acts — http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20280
General Notary Information — http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20264
Documents — http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20258
Law Suits & Legal Risks – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20478
Credible Witnesses – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20414
Index of posts about Power of Attorney – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20255

MARKETING
Notary Marketing 102 Course – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774
Index of Marketing Posts – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20284
Snapdocs Compilation – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21531
Phone Etiquette – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20505
Compilation of certification posts – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16264
10 rules for negotiating fees – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19620
How to write a notes section if you are a beginner – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16698

PUBLIC INTEREST
Find a Notary – http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=find-a-notary
Posts about fraud – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21527

GUEST BLOGGERS
String of guest blogs – http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=230
Compilation of guest blogs – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22472

HUMOROUS & DRAMA POSTS
Best comedy articles 2010 to 2014 – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20288
Stories on the blog – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21898
Posts about Notary & Politics – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20357
Compilation of mafia related posts – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20352
Best Virtual Comedy Posts to 2018 – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17693
Notary Restaurant Post Compilation – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17442
Notary Dating & Romance – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17451
Compilation of Notary Sit-Com Episodes – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15949

GENERAL
Best blog posts since 2010 – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21650
Posts about 123notary – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20648

COMPREHENSIVE GUIDES
12 questions to ask for hospital notarizations – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20519
How to make more as a signing agent – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20418
Notary Public general info – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20075
How to negotiate signing fees like a pro! – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19198
When to refuse a notarization – a comprehensive guide – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18974
10 things a notary can do to screw up a notarization – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18864
A comprehensive guide to notary organizations – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17088
A comprehensive guide to notary pricing – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16504
123notary’s comprehensive guide to getting reviews – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290
Everything you need to know about writing a great notes section – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16074
10 tight points on loose certificates – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15449
Notary journals from A to Z – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8348
Notary Seal information from A to Z – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8337
Signing Agent best practice 63 points – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315
Borrower Etiquette from A to Z – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2995
Backdating from A to Z – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2424
Mobile Offices from A to Z – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=535

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October 14, 2018

INDEX — Best Notary Comedy Articles 2010 to 2014

Filed under: Best Humorous Posts,Compilations — admin @ 11:42 pm

These posts are in order of popularity and quality.

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Funniest things that happen to signing agents
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=55

The signing from hell
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=765

A social media site for Notaries — Affiant
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6410

Seinfeld episode about a Notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10208

Notary Apps for the iPhone 7 you’ve never dreamed of
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10977

Vampire Notaries: 24 hour service
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4094

3 Notaries walk into a bar
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3660

Family Guy — Peter joins ISIS by mistake & needs Notarized conversion
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10507

The Notary, The Mafia & The Fedex Drop Box
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6867

My Date with Jeremy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4473

Two and a half Notaries! A Notarization experience
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8974

Witnessing intake forms for Notary Heaven
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8832

Welcome to the Notary Hotel
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8822

Honey, I notarized the kids
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7030

Two and a Half Notaries — detering Notary fraud
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10452

Notary Cheers: Sammy gets a name change form notarized
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10016

Two Notaries assigned the same job
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1060

A 2nd date with Jeremy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7074

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September 24, 2018

Who does what in an Acknowledgment?

Filed under: Notary Acts & Certificates — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:15 am

Notary Acknowledgments

What baffles me is that virtually none of our Notaries on our site can adequately describe any Notary act without Carmen or myself teaching them one by one. I cannot teach everyone by hand and I do not get paid for that either. So, here is my dissertation on how Acknowledgment procedure is typically misinterpreted by Notaries which can lead to legal issues.

QUESTION — What is an Acknowledgment?

WRONG ANSWERS
1. The signer verifies that the document is correct
2. The Notary verifies that the document is correct
3. The Notary must witness the document being signed (only a few states require this)
4. The Notary acknowledges that the signer signed
5. “You” acknowledge the signature — who is “you?” Is it the Notary or the signer? Ambiguous and therefore not correct.
6. The signer must swear to the truthfulness of th document. (you must be thinking of a Jurat.

NOTE
Some states such as Massachusetts have laws regarding signing under duress and require the signer to state, claim or swear (not sure which) that they signed a notarized document on their own free will. I do not know state Notary laws and you have to be responsible for knowing the laws of the state(s) you are commissioned in. Please do not confuse swearing that you signed a document on your own free will with swearing to the truthfulness of the document, because one of those two Oaths does not constitute or substitute the other as they are two separate and unique practices.

RIGHT ANSWER
An Acknowledgment is a Notary act where a signer appears before a Notary Public, and acknowledges (sometimes nonverbally which is convoluted but true) that they signed a particular instrument (document) by virtue of the fact that they say, “please notarize this.” The Notary then identifies the signer normally by virtue of a current government photo ID, credible witnesses, or sometimes personal knowledge. The Notary does NOT verify if the document is correct. The Notary checks to make sure the signature on the document matches the signature in the ID and Notary journal. All three should match. The Notary then certifies that the signer appear before him/her, was positively identified, and that the signer Acknowledged signing the document. The Notary does not acknowledge or verify anything other than the fact that the signature matches their ID and the Notary journal (common misconception). The verb for the action of the Notary could be construed as “certifying” by virtue of the fact that the Notary’s job is to fill out an Acknowledgment “certificate” form for the Notary act.

1. The signer APPEARS before the Notary.
2. The signer ACKNOWLEDGES having signed a document (past tense, does not have to sign before the Notary.)
3. The Notary checks the signer’s IDENTIFICATION, or uses credible witnesses, or personal knowledge depending on state laws where you are.
4. The Notary has the signer sign a JOURNAL ENTRY. Not all states require a journal but you should keep on for legal reasons.
5. The Notary COMPARES the signature on the document, journal and ID for consistency.
6. The Notary fills out an Acknowledgment Certificate certifying that:
(a) The signer personally appeared
(b) Was proven to be the person named in the document
(c) The signer acknowledged having signed the document.

Once again, the signer does not verify the document is true. The signer does not verify signing the document, they ACKNOWLEDGE having signed the document. The document (in most states) can be signed prior to appearing before the Notary. The Notary does not verify the document is true.

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You might also like:

The new acknowledgment form for transgender people
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19658

Notary Acknowledgment Wording
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18858

Notary Public 101’s guide to Notary Acts
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19500

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September 4, 2018

Find a Notary who can notarize an inmate at Men’s Central, Twin Towers, Century Regional. Pitches Detention Center

Filed under: Hospital & Jail Signings — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 2:38 am

Do you need a Notary who can do prison notarizations? 123notary has many Notaries who offer mobile service to jails, prisons, correctional facilities, penitentiaries, and detention centers. Here are some issues involved:

1. Someone needs to meet the Notary at the jail. That person can be an Attorney, family member, friend, or paid assistant.

2. The inmate must have identification that is satisfactory to the state where the notarization takes place. It is ideal if the person meeting the Notary has a current ID for the inmate such as a valid and current driver license, ID card, passport, etc. However, if the inmate has a wristband or jail ID card that is acceptable to the state where the notarization is taking place.

3. A California Notary may accept an inmate identification card issues by the state Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.

4. Florida allows Notaries to accept inmate ID cards issued by the U.S. Department of Justice or Bureau of Federal Prisons.

5. Credible witnesses are allowed in most states. A credible witness is a person who can vouch for the identity of a signer who does not have ID. Typically the credible witness must swear under Oath as to the identity of the signer (exact procedure depends on state laws) and must be identified by the notary and sign the journal in the additional information section. Some states allow one credible witness who knows both the Notary and inmate while others allow two who both know the signer, but don’t necessarily know the Notary. Other states allow one or two, while some states do not allow identification via credible identifying witnesses.

6. In states that require a journal, you must find a way to get the journal to the other side of the glass. Normally a warden will be happy to assist you with this task, however wardens might keep you waiting for five or ten minutes in my experience.

7. Lock downs happen in jails. If a lock down happens, you might be asked to leave, or might be taken virtually hostage until the lock down is over.

8. The Notary must have full vision of the signer and the signer must appear before the Notary. It is okay if the signer is on the other side of a glass provided that direct communication is possible. In my opinion, the signers should be within about five feet of the Notary otherwise you cannot fulfill the “personal appearance” requirement of most Notary acts.

9. Power of Attorney documents are common documents to be notarize in a correctional facility. That document normally requires an Acknowledgment which is a common Notary act which just requires the signer to sign the document, and then sign a Notary journal (most states but not all states). The Notary would need to check whatever ID the inmate has available and enter that information into the journal.

10. You can find a Notary on 123notary.com to do your jail signing. It is best to bring cash, and pay the travel fee up front. Then pay waiting time and whatever fee there is per signature after the work is done. Each Notary has their own fee and method of collecting their fee. Paying in two stages makes it easier for the Notary as some people try to get out of paying the Notary at all if there is any type of problem getting the inmate to come to the visiting room or sign, or be identified.

You might also like:

See our Jail Notary string
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=jail-notary

A guide to notarizing for prison inmates
https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2016/07/guide-notarizing-for-prison-inmates

Jail notarizations forum string
http://www.notaryrotary.com/archive/forum/2009/March/Jail_Notarizations.html

Jail signing information
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/notary-jail-signing-information-susana-landa

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Find a Notary who can notarize an inmate
Find a Notary who can travel to a jail.
Find a Notary who can notarize at a jail.
Find a Notary who can travel to a prison.
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Find a Notary who can notarize at a correctional facility

Find a Notary who can travel to a Los Angeles County prison facility
Find a Notary who can notarize at a Los Angeles County prison facility
Find a notary who can travel to Twin Towers Los Angeles
Find a Notary who can travel to Men’s Central Los Angeles
Find a Notary who can travel to Century Regional Los Angeles
Find a Notary who can travel to Pitches Detention Center, Valencia, CA
Find a Notary who can travel to North County Correctional Facility
Prison power of attorney notary
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Detention Center Notary
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Correctional Facility Notary
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How can I obtain a valid government issued ID from prison?
Is a state prison ID government issued?
Notary goes to prison
Can a notary go to jail?
Do jails provide a notary?
Can you go to jail for notarizing a family member in Florida?

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September 1, 2018

How much does a Notary cost in 2018 & 2019?

Filed under: Public Interest — Tags: — admin @ 11:04 am

How much do Notaries charge?
How much can a Notary charge?
How much is a Notary?

Notary fees are regulated by the laws of the various fifty states. So, each state has a different rate that a Notary can charge and a different procedure for a Notary to get a Notary commission. In addition to charging officially designated maximum Notary fees, many Notaries on our directory travel to their clients and charge travel fees in addition to waiting fees if you keep them waiting too long. It is common for Notaries to have a fixed price for loan signing packages that range from $75 to $150 per signing which is a price that might include printing eDocuments. But, let’s try to give you a better idea of what particular states offer as Notary fees.

Please keep in mind that there are also fees for Oaths & Affirmations which are done in all states that I am aware of. There are also more obscure Notary acts done in particular states that are not done in all states.

How much can an Alabama Notary charge?
$5 for an Acknowledgment or Jurat.

How much can an Alaska Notary charge?
There is no set fee but I heard that in remote areas Notaries get paid in moose or salmon (generally fresh).

How much can an Arizona Notary charge?
An AZ Notary may charge $10 per Acknowledgment (for the first signer) and $10 per Jurat.
Fees changed as of March 2018 up from $2 per signature.

How much can a California Notary charge?
A California Notary Public may charge $15 per Acknolwedged signature or per Jurat. There are other types of fees, but those are the most common.

How much can a Florida Notary charge?
A Florida Notary Public may charge $10 per Acknowledgment, however the price is fixed no matter how many signatures are on the notarized document. Jurats would also be $10.

How much can an Illinois Notary charge?
An Illinois Notary may charge a whopping $1 per Acknowledged signature or for a Jurat.

How much can an Indiana Notary charge?
$2 per Acknowledgment or Jurat

How much can a Maryland Notary charge?
A Maryland Notary may charge $4 per Acknowledgment or Jurat

How much can a Michigan Notary charge?
A Michigan Notary may charge up to $10 per Jurat or Acknowledged signature.

How much can a Minnesota Notary charge?
Generally $2 per Acknowledgment or Jurat

How much can a New Jersey Notary charge?
A New Jersey Notary can charge $2.50 per Acknowledgment, Jurat, or Oath

How much can a New York Notary charge?
A New York Notary may only charge $2 per Acknowledged signature or Jurat or for each sworn witness.

How much can a North Carolina Notary charge?
A North Carolina Notary may charge $5 per principal signature on an Acknowledgment or Jurat.

How much can a Pennsylvania Notary Public charge?
A Pennsylvania Notary may charge $5 for the first Acknowledged signature and $2 for each subsequent signature. Jurats are $5 per piece.

How much can a Texas Notary charge?
A Texas Notary Public may charge $6 for the first Acknowledged signature and $1 for each additional plus $6 for administering an Oath.

How much can a Virginia Notary Public charge?
A Virginia Notary may charge $5 for each Acknowledged signature or Jurat.

HELP, my state was not on the list…
No problem, just click on the FIND A NOTARY link and look up your state. We have pricing for all states documented in our website.

NOTE: Prices are subject to change. If our pricing has become outdated for any particular state, do not comment on this blog, rather, email us at info@123notary.com and politely inform us of the price change.

For states not mentioned or updates in the future, please refer to
https://www.nationalnotary.org/file%20library/nna/knowledge%20center/outside%20pdfs/state-notary-fees-chart.pdf

You might also like:

See our information about Acknowledgments (string)
http://blog.123notary.com/?s=acknowledgment

Index of posts about general Notary information
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20264

Basic Notary acts
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19500

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August 6, 2018

Why you should consider getting 123notary Elite Certified.

Filed under: Marketing Articles — Tags: , — admin @ 10:06 am

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Notary Certification

“Elite style” from 123notary!
At the time of this article being written there are only about 100 Elite Certified 123notary members. Elite Certified members get a lot more quantity of work, and get paid roughly $14 more per signing than someone who is not 123notary Certified. So, why would someone pass up more work at higher prices, isn’t that what we all want? Actually not. What people really want is to not have to study — and that is where the problem lies.

Standards for passing our Elite Certification have been raised and that is why it is so highly prized by title companies. You have to be good as a notary, signer and have some obscure knowledge about documents and the industry to get Elite Certified. In any case, here is some data about our Elite Certification.

1. Elite Certification is FREE for now.
We used to charge $179 for Elite Certification. Since we have recently changed our educational and testing requirements, we are allowing people to pass our test at no cost. However, you do have to study and very few can pass because the standards are high.

2. Get more $$$
Elite Certified members on 123notary get paid $14 more per signing than uncertified members. If you are complaining about not getting paid enough, your complaint will change to being paid too much. And that is a nice thing to complain about. You won’t know what to do with the additional income you have. But, I can help you with that. You can invest that in more advertising with 123notary!

3. Get a lot more attention from Title & Escrow
Title companies love 123notary because we have better quality control for our Notaries than other sites. They especially like our certified and elite members as well as people who are top on the list in their area as they are the cream of the crop in the Notary industry.

4. Impress others with your knowledge
Knowing more about the industry will impress people, especially when your knowledge is more solid than anyone else which will basically be true if you can pass our test. People pay more for knowledgeable, experienced and dependable people. But, they don’t pay more for people who fallaciously claim to be knowledgeable, experienced and dependable. Self claims of greatness are inexpensively bought credibility, but our Elite Certification is a highly prized mark of credibility that comes from an unbiased judge of ability — me!

5. Be safer as a Notary
Notaries who don’t know anything (97% of Notaries to be exact) are a danger to their clients, society and themselves. Not knowing how to handle notary situations prudently, not keeping your journal correctly and not knowing how to fill out forms correctly in all cases is not only negligent — it is dangerous and can get you sued, or forced to be a witness in a long drawn out court case, fired, investigated, or in some cases fed to the lions. Ignorance doesn’t pay, but knowledge can keep you and everyone else a whole lot safer. It is worth the ten or more hours you will need to study to get this icon.

6. Get more clicks on 123notary
Clicks and more clicks translate into more jobs. You still have to answer your phone, print documents and go to jobs, but there will be more jobs and better jobs if you can get this icon.

7. Feel more confident and less afraid
Many Notaries have a sense of dread, because they don’t know if they will run into a situation they cannot handle. Earning our Elite certification will have taught you how to handle a wide variety of problems common to Notary work. You might not know everything, but you will know pretty close to everything.

8. Get favorable treatment from Jeremy and Carmen
We both have the highest respect for our Elite members. They are smarter and we are very aware of that. We also respect their motivation as motivation is a scarce commodity these days. We are more likely to promote Elite members with discounted upgrades and special deals on additional counties (no guarantees, but this is our practice.)

Summary
Get treated like a king or queen, make more money and get recognition by virtue of your rightfully acquired knowledge. Nothing should be holding you back from being Elite Certified by 123notary for FREE. All we ask is that you take the studying very seriously, and study with the intent of mastery rather than just skimming the materials. Study and review and quiz yourself on every aspect of the information at hand. If you get less than 100% on a self-quiz, you will not do well on our quiz. But, try it and perhaps you will pass, and if not, you still will have learned something of value.

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You might also like:

Elite Certification will benefit you for the rest of your life
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20770

The elite certification study guide
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20118

Unique phrases from the Ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

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August 3, 2018

Notarization for an exorcism

Filed under: Virtual Comedy Themes — admin @ 8:31 am

A Notary was called in to notarize an exorcism. He was asked if he had experience notarizing exorcisms and he said he did not, but asked, “Will I be notarizing the spirit, the person who was possessed, or the priest?” The priest who was hiring the notary said that he would have to swear under Oath to a statement. The Notary agreed to come. Meanwhile the Notary was going through a mid-life crisis. He was trying to find that happy medium between work and play, because working all day made Jack the Notary a dull semi-balding middle-aged boy.

The lady who was possessed was named Chelle. She exhibited signs of dual personality disorder (which is better than my last girlfriend who suffered from no personality disorder). One minute she would be Chelle and would be very nice and accommodating. The next minute Gertrude would take over and do mean things to people. It was so out of character.

On June 5th, the Notary showed up.

PRIEST: We are gathered here to witness this unholy union of inhabiting spirit and human to be broken. Do you solemnly take this uninvited spirit to no longer be your lawfully wedded possessor?

CHELLE: I do.

PRIEST: Do you, spirit, take this lady to be your lawfully unwedded possessee and agree to get out of her immediately? Notice to quit with a three second grace period.

SPIRIT: Do I have a choice?

PRIEST: Not really. If you don’t come out, I’ll summon in the angels and then you’ll really have had it.

NOTARY: Oh, you know how to talk to spirits!!!

PRIEST: (sarcastically) Only the bad ones!

CHELLE: So, what do I do now?

PRIEST: Just wait there. Now, what is that damn spirit doing hovering up there?

SPIRIT: Me, I’m just coming out of my Chelle (pronounced shell).

PRIEST: I’ve heard it all now. Now, Notary. Please administer an Oath on this verbal statement that says, “I hereby declare that Chelle has been ridden of spirit possession, so help me God.”

NOTARY: Okay, raise your right hand.

PRIEST: My right hand is raised.

NOTARY: Do you solemnly swear that the statement you are about to make is true and correct?

PRIEST: I do.

NOTARY: I pronounce you notarized.

PRIEST: But, I didn’t make the statement yet under Oath. I told you the statement I was going to make but did not make it when we had our hands raised.

NOTARY: Sorry, I don’t do Oaths, I only do Refinances.

PRIEST: Every refinance I’ve ever seen had at least three Oaths. The signature affidavit, occupancy affidavit and identity affidavit. Don’t you do oaths on these?

NOTARY: Nobody checks.

PRIEST: Do you want to get reported to the Secretary of State for refusal to administer acts that Notaries are legally responsible for administering to the public?

NOTARY: Oh, are you theatening me? You’re being rude.

PRIEST: (ring ring…) Hi, Secretary of State? A Notary named Jack Tripper… he refused to correctly administer an Oath to me for a verbal statement. Can you decommission him?

SOS: Could you send us an email with his name, commission # and expiration date?

PRIEST: I will.

SOS: Do you swear?

PRIEST: I not only swear but affirm.

NOTARY: Well, I may not know how to administer Oaths correctly, but I found my happy medium — you. You are happy and can talk to spirits. That makes you a happy medium.

PRIEST: No – I’m an angry medium because you messed up my exorcism by not doing your fricking job — idiot!!!! I have no formal record of what happened unless you follow proper procedure.

NOTARY: Take it easy man… wow this guy is uptight!

(a few days later, the NOTARY goes to the secretary of state’s office.)

NOTARY: I am here to turn myself in.

SOS: For what?

NOTARY: Wait a second, how did I get here, what am I doing here?

SOS: Excuse me?

NOTARY: My name is Gertrude. I am a spirit possessing this body. I witnessed Jack (the dull boy) doing an improper Notarization and I wish to report him, or me, well actually him, but I am temporarily in his body until we get this issue resolved. My uncle Binkelthorp died because a Notary filled out a medical power of attorney wrong and I want revenge on all bad Notaries.

SOS: So, let me get this straight. You want to report yourself for committing Notarial malpractice?

NOTARY: No, not myself. I have only been in this body for 24 hours. The regular soul’s name is Jack, and although physically he looks exactly like how I look in front of you, his soul is the rightful custodian of this body and his soul is the one who committed Notarial malpractice. Just quiz him on Oath procedure and I’ll jump out of his body while he does it.

SOS: This sounds crazy but here goes. Please administer an Oath to me for a document that says, I committed Notarial fraud.

NOTARY: Um… I don’t understand the question.

SOS: Do you not know how to administer an Oath? That is one of your powers as a state commissioned Notary Public and you will lose your license if you don’t know how to do it.. How many years have you been a Notary?

NOTARY: Duh…

SOS: Okay, I am having your commission suspended, revoked, and terminated, and contacting the priest to get a statement about how you refused a member of the public for service — which is a crime. As a Notary Public, you are required to perform any legal request for a Notary act for any member of the public who has identified themselves properly and is in front of you. Otherwise you would be a Notary Private if you select the customer or which jobs you are willing to do.

NOTARY: I can’t believe this is happening. But, I’ve been a Notary for 20 years, and therefore must know what I’m doing.

SOS: You have clearly demonstrated that you have no idea what you are doing. You must have been sleeping for 20 years. If you were a brand new Notary, I might have you attend a class, but you have demonstrated a complete lack of respect for lawfulness. Let me get the priest on the phone who you disserved.

PRIEST: Hello, priest service. Jim speaking.

SOS: Hi, this is Frank at the Secretary of State’s office. We have a Notary named Gertrude who is also Jack. One of his personalities reported him to us for Notarial malpractice on you while you were doing some sort of an exorcism. Is that correct?

PRIEST: Correct.

SOS: It looks like you might have committed malpractice on the exorcism by allowing this spirit to inhabit this poor excuse of a Notary.

PRIEST: I neither allowed it nor discouraged it. Wandering spirits like to inhabit the bodies of the weak-willed. People who don’t take care of their health, mind, spirit, or in this case, their obedience towards proper Notary procedure.

SOS: Good point. In any case, did this Notary refuse to administer an Oath to you after you had appeared before him… or her.. and produced acceptable identification?

PRIEST: He most certainly did, and he was a he when I saw him… before Gertrude entered the picture… or the body… or exited one body and came into the other body.

SOS: We could use someone like Gertrude to clean up the Notary industry.

PRIEST: Umm, I’m not so sure that is a good idea. Gertrude can be very vindictive. She is considered to be bad news.

SOS: Yes, but that means she will help us convict bad Notaries because she suffered a horrible loss due to a bad Notary two decades ago and she wants revenge.

PRIEST: Oh… well, in that case, two wrongs make a right I guess. As a man of the cloth, I will have to stay out of this. We don’t like to be involved in anything punitive or vindictive — we leave that up to the holy father — he can be very punitive at times. That’s why I carry a lightening rod wherever I go — I keep it in the trunk. You never know when you’ll need it.

SOS: I’ve heard it all now. Hey Jack… We are sending you to Notary jail, fining you $1500 and revoking your commission. What do you think about that?

NOTARY: Ummm. But, I’ve been a Notary for 20 years and never had a problem.

SOS: You had plenty of problems, but the people you were working for didn’t know the difference — that is how you got away with it so long.

PRIEST: Looks like someone needs an exorcism by the way, not that I am using this misfortune as a way to get a new client.

GERTRUDE: I’ll go on my own. I have some other Notaries to possess.

PRIEST: And by the way… Here’s my card. I also do weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.

SOS: Bar Mitzvahs??? Aren’t you a priest?

PRIEST: In my neighborhood, its the only way to keep busy… Besides, what they don’t know won’t kill them.

SOS: Hold on, let me call 411. Hey, what’s the number for the Secretary of State Rabbi Division? I think I need to report someone.

THE END

You might also like:

The curse of the Notary mummy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19918

Donnie Wahlburg and the Notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22199

Notary Psychic Tarot Card Reading
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19126

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Notary Public 101 — Scenarios: What entities might want to see your journal?

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 6:38 am

I have gotten in hundreds of arguments with notaries from states all over the county. Those who live in states where journals are not legally required think they will not get into trouble if they don’t have one. If you end up in court, your journal is your only evidence of what happened. You might become a witness for a long case or a defendant if you don’t keep a journal regardless of what your state says.

The FBI investigates ALL Mortgage fraud. That means that if you notarize a fraudulent mortgage, don’t keep a journal, and the FBI catches up with you– you are in trouble as well as the Lender and they can name you as a suspect. The possibility of being slapped with a $20,000 Attorney fee is just not worth the risk. It is much easier just to keep a journal so that you will have some sort of evidence of what work you performed.

Here is a list of entities that might want to see your journal other than your state which may or may not require it.

1. The FBI
2. Judges in court
3. Signers
4. Attorneys
5. People who were affected directly or indirectly by something you notarized perhaps such as beneficiaries, etc.

When I was a Notary, I had three or four inquiries about journal entries. Since I kept my books in order I was ready. How ready are you?

You might also like:

Notary Public 101 – Journals
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19511

Comparing journal entries to FedEx signatures
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19375
How many journal entries do you use for two signers on three docs?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19391

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May 3, 2018

Letter to Florida Notary Division

Filed under: Florida Notary — Tags: — admin @ 10:13 am

Dear Florida Notary Division,
I run 123notary and am constantly made aware of the sloppy behavior of the Notaries that you commission. I will remind you that the purpose in having Notaries Public in the first place is to ensure the integrity of transactions done via signed documents. The Notary makes sure the correct person signed the document, fills out forms, keeps records, administers Oaths, and upholds the law regarding Notary Public. Based on my quiz results for many Florida Notaries: Florida Notaries do not normally keep proper records, rarely administer correct Oaths, and do not have a clear idea of the laws affecting their work in many cases. Below are my comments and suggestions.

1. Journal Thumbprints.
A journal thumbprint is a piece of biometric evidence that Notaries should keep in their journal. The reason is that the FBI can catch identity thieves that steal people’s assets a lot more easily with thumbprints. Florida recommends against Notaries keeping thumbprints which essentially stifles the FBI. Florida is afraid that the Notaries will not be reputable custodians of biometric data and therefore recommends that they do not take the evidence to begin with. This tells me that the following MIGHT be true:

(a) Florida might desperately want to assist identity thieves in having open season in Florida, and wants to make sure that identity thieves not only can defraud hard working citizens, but that the rights to privacy of identity thieves will be honored at the expense of the safety of society, borrowers, signers, and Notaries by recommending against taking journal thumbprints. Ludicrous! The State of Florida might want to make sure that identity thieves will be protected from being caught and wants to deter the justice system from having adequate evidence to book these very dangerous white collar criminals.

(b) Florida commissions Notaries in a position of trust and integrity equivalent to that of police, attorneys, judges and government workers, yet doesn’t trust them to safeguard a thumbprint. Either you trust them or you shouldn’t commission them. Maybe you should spend more time figuring out who is trustworthy and who is not. Since 90% of your Notaries cannot administer an Oath correctly (which is the notarial equivalent of tying your shoes), I would consider weeding your database of the Notaries who refuse to know how to do their job. Or you could resort to actually training your Notaries and screening them a little better.

(c) The State of Florida is confused and doesn’t realize how stupid they are being by safeguarding society’s most dangerous criminals by discouraging Notaries from keeping journals and taking journal thumbprints. Discouraging journal thumb printing is similar in essence to discouraging wearing seat belts or condoms. Notaries might not get Aids, or break their ribs, but they could end up in court or jail as a result of this stupidity.

2. Journals
For the Notary’s safety, their notarial journal is their only hard evidence in court of what they did as a Notary on a particular date, or assignment as well as what they did NOT do should their seal be stolen, copied, or forged. By not requiring a journal for notarial acts you are endangering the public, Notaries, and their clients. There are many types of crimes that can be committed without a paper trail since you don’t require journals. The Notaries you have commissioned are mostly very lazy and negligent people who would prefer to spent an hour arguing with me about how journals aren’t required by their state so that they can save a few minutes each time they commit a Notary act. By not requiring journals you are encouraging people to be reckless. Additionally, one might argue that you as a state and as Notaries for that state are aiding and abetting criminals by not keeping proper records of highly sensitive transactions.

I give these Notaries the lecture about how California requires seat belts where India does not require having or wearing a seat belt in your vehicle. If you get into an accident in India, will you be any less injured since seat belts aren’t legally required? If an identity thief imposters you in Florida and steals the equity out of someones’ apartment complex, will you be in any less in trouble with the FBI in Florida simply because your state is too foolish to require you to keep adequate evidence of all transactions?

The reality is that the FBI has investigated many of the Notaries listed on 123notary.com. Many of the Notaries kept thumbprints in their journal which was a huge boon to the FBI. However, I heard that those without proper evidence are routinely accused of collaborating with frauds. Does the State of Florida really want their Notaries ending up in court or jail simply because they are too stubborn or stupid to require a simple journal? Millions of dollars of assets are on the line in each day of Notary work doing loan signings and you don’t even require a single record of the transactions conducted? Even third world countries are not this foolish.

Summary

My suggestions are as follows:

1. Be more careful appointing Notaries. Give preference to those who have held government jobs or highly responsible jobs in the past.

2. Have an IQ test and a meticulousity test to make sure Notaries are logical enough to make legal distinctions necessary to perform the duties of Notary Public. Many errors Notaries make are due to logic errors and scrambled thinking. Notaries also need to show they are adept at conducting themselves in a step by step manner doing paperwork otherwise they will not do good work filling out their Notary forms. You should test this before you put them through school otherwise you will be wasting their time.

3. Have a two day live seminar with hands on training. One day is not enough in my experience.

4. Test on Notary laws as well as on hands on procedure

5. Require Notarial journals and orthodox journal entry creation which means one entry per person per document notarized and no short cuts.

6. Require Journal thumbprints for Deeds affecting real property, Powers of Attorney, and transactions done with Credible Identifying Witnesses.

7. Check up on your notaries from time to time to make sure they are maintaining proper legal standards for your state.

8. Have a minimum fee of $25 per appointment for Notaries public plus $25 minimum travel fee as well as a minimum waiting fee for hospital, jail and other jobs that require more than ten minutes of waiting. Travel fees should be paid in cash at the door by law to discourage clients from manipulating the notary into committing illegal acts under the duress that the Notary will not be paid his/her travel fee if he/she doesn’t cooperate in some illegal act. Higher fees will give you a higher supply of higher level people which will be helpful when you weed out the incompetent Notaries in your state.

9. If you have fewer Notaries in the state, it will be easier to keep an eye on them. I recommend having roughly 25% of your current number of Notaries to ensure adequate quantity without sacrificing on quality!

Thank you
sincerely,
Jeremy Belmont
123notary manager

You might also like:

A Notary from Florida travels to India
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19636

An identity fraud case in Florida with 123 defendants
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19449

Letter to California notary division
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19939

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