Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon
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(Los Angeles, California) — Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon has joined the National Notary Association to educate Notaries and the public about one of the most rampant crimes in the nation, identity theft. Published this month in The Missouri Notary, the NNA's newsletter sent to over 72,000 Missouri Notaries, an article by Nixon explained the essential role Notaries play in protecting the public from identity theft and fraud.
Recently elected to his fourth term as Missouri's highest-ranking crime-fighting official, Attorney General Nixon did not mince words in describing identity theft as "a growing epidemic" that affects every citizen. Indeed, identity theft is the nation's fastest growing crime, and "Missouri's Notaries are on the front lines of this battle... and my office appreciates their support in this fight," wrote Nixon.
Attorney General Nixon continues in the article to outline the essential steps all Notaries must take to protect the public from fraud. First by positively identifying each and every signer, then engaging signers in conversation to measure their awareness and willingness to sign, and finally by having each signer leave a thumbprint in the Notary's journal, Notaries Public play a key role in deterring fraud.
The NNA has advocated the notarial "best practices" outlined by Attorney General Nixon for many years, remarked Executive Director Timothy S. Reiniger. "Attorney General Nixon recognizes the essential role the Notary Public plays in protecting individual and property rights and the NNA is pleased to work with him in this important battle," Reiniger continued.
The National Notary Association has been the nation's professional Notary organization since 1957 and is committed to the development of Notaries throughout the United States by providing education, support and advocacy. Understanding the need for greater awareness of the essential role each Notary Public plays, the NNA is dedicated to educating lawmakers, businesses, state officials, and the general public on the Notary's expanding role in fraud prevention and Homeland Security issues. The NNA works with Notaries nationwide to instill in them, as public officials, the highest ethical standards of conduct and notarial practice.
The National Notary Association released these five basic steps to help prevent identity theft:
- Beware of calls asking for personal information. Never provide personal identifying or financial information over the telephone when you do not initiate the call.
- Watch out for "contests." Never provide any personal information over the telephone to anyone claiming to represent a contest or sweepstakes.
- Keep your Social Security number private. Do not have your Social Security number printed on your checks, driver's license or other financial documents.
- Watch for phony e-mails. Never respond to e-mail or "pop-up" messages on your computer claiming some problem with a credit card, Internet, or other account.
- Buy a shredder. Purchase a simple "cross-cut" shredder (the kind that creates confetti, not the long strips) and get in the habit of shredding all personal or financial documents you intend to discard before placing them in the trash.
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