The Notary Hotline receives hundreds of calls daily from Notaries nationwide who find themselves in challenging situations. To boost your knowledge of Notary standards of practice, we’ve created a series of scenarios based on actual situations and ask a simple question: What would you do?
Most people who need a notarization ask for acknowledgments or jurats. Sometimes you’re asked to administer an oath or affirmation. But this day a new client comes to you with something called a “Notary presentment.” The document asserts an incredulous financial claim — that the local county owes the signer $1 billion.
The client says he needs you to witness him putting the document in the mail, and to sign a certificate in which you attest to the witnessing. The return address is yours, and you also are expected to sign a certificate later stating that no response was received.
You are doubtful, but the client insists that you are able to do the act because it does not require you to agree with or certify the accuracy of the document. You only are being asked to serve as a witness to the correspondence. He points you to a website that explains the process.
What would you do?
Members of the NNA community frequently share accounts of encountering dubious or improper notarial practices, and it is not always clear how they should respond. In this case, you are being asked to perform a notarial act that is completely unfamiliar and may or may not be authorized by your state. In addition, the claim made in the document seems to be utterly outlandish.
To participate in this week’s “What Would You Do?” scenario, share your answers in the comments section below. We may mention your response in next week’s Bulletin, when we offer the best possible answer(s) to this notarial challenge.
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Additional Resources:
State Law Summaries