The National Notary Bulletin

Notary Quiz: Red Flag Signer, or Green Flag Signer?

By David Thun, July 16, 2026

When you’re performing a notarization, it’s important to watch for clues that something may be wrong with the signer. Maybe they seem confused, or they ask you to perform an unusual request. But are these signs red flags to stop the notarization, or green flags that it’s OK to proceed? Take our quiz and see how many you can spot correctly.

Answers

1. You’re notarizing a financial document for a signer in his early 20s. He presents you with an ID with the name “Jacob Jones, Junior.” As you are completing the certificate, you notice that the name on the document is “Jacob Jones, Senior.”

When you ask the signer about the discrepancy, he laughs. “Jacob Jones, Senior is my father!” he says. “The bank must have mixed up our names. Go ahead and finish. I’ll have the bank correct the name later.”

Is this a red flag to stop, or a green flag and OK to proceed?

A. Red Flag

B. Green Flag

Show Answer

Answer: Red Flag! If the name on the ID does not match the name printed on the document being notarized, but the signer wants you to go ahead with the notarization, it’s a warning sign of potential identity fraud. In such a situation, you should not proceed with the notarization.

Sadly, there have been real-life cases where a child with a similar name to a parent attempted to steal money from the parent using fraudulent documents and claimed the different names were a clerical error.

In such a situation, you should not proceed. Stop the notarization and tell the signer that you cannot continue unless the document error is corrected and the ID discrepancy is resolved.

2. You’ve been asked to perform a notarization for an elderly, bedridden woman at her home. When you get there, two other people are present: her daughter and son-in-law. You notice the couple growing impatient as the signer slowly reads the documents. The signer looks at them and says, “I want you to leave the room while we finish this, please.”

The couple looks very unhappy, but agrees. Once they are out of the room, the signer turns to you and says, “OK, we can finish now. I was feeling too much pressure to rush with them here. I feel more comfortable now, it’s just you and me.”

Is the signer’s request for privacy a red flag to stop, or a green flag to proceed?

A. Red Flag

B. Green Flag

Show Answer

Answer: Green Flag. A signer should never be made uncomfortable or pressured to sign by any other parties present during a notarization. If it appears a signer is being made uncomfortable by the presence of other people, you or the signer can ask the other parties to leave so you can speak with the signer privately to confirm willingness.

3. A woman brings some papers to your office to notarize. You ask what kind of notarization she wants, and she says she needs her signature and her husband’s signature acknowledged — but he’s not here. “I’m sorry, he couldn’t make it due to work,” she says. “Could you go ahead and notarize his signature? I’ll vouch for him, or I can have him stop by later to give you his ID.”

Is the husband’s absence a red flag to stop, or a green flag to proceed?

A. Red Flag

B. Green Flag

Show Answer

Answer: Red Flag! You should never notarize the signature of a person who does not appear before you for the notarization, and you can’t rely on the word of someone else that the absent person wants to sign the documents, including spouses. A couple going through a divorce often fight over finances, property or custody of children. Notaries have encountered dishonest individuals who tried to have a spouse’s fraudulent signature notarized to improperly gain a benefit in divorce proceedings.

David Thun is the Editorial Manager at the National Notary Association.

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