06/13/2015
Many of you know I am a huge proponent of keeping a notary journal that includes the signer's right thumb print. The National Notary Association also recommends that all notaries do this. Today I pitched an idea to a NY assemblyman to make the notary journal with thumb print required by law.
A portion of my message to the assemblyman is as follows:
Notaries are sued like any other service provider. Unfortunately in many instances these lawsuits are initiated several years after services were provided. A notary journal serves several purposes: it serves as a reference for the notary, serves as a deterrent for fraud, and can be of assistance to law enforcement in proving/prosecuting fraud. There have been cases of a notary's journal being used by police in solving crimes.
Many of the notarizations that I complete are for real estate transactions and unfortunately there is a lot of fraud related to these (people fraudulently selling or renting out homes that do not belong to them, etc.).
Power of Attorney documents have been notarized and unbeknownst to the notary the elderly person's identity was stolen. Elderly people have had their home sold without their knowledge or consent, their bank accounts have been cleaned out, etc.
I've read of a case where a couple approached a notary and asked that he notarize a letter signed by a husband allowing his wife to leave the US with the couple's child. The notary notarized the letter only to be contacted by the real biological father of the child weeks later. The couple was not married and the letter signed by the man (whoever he was) was not the biological father of the child. A notary journal would have been very helpful in this instance. The notary was unable to provide any information regarding who appeared before him.
A notary journal with the requirement of the signer's thumbprint could be a big game changer in these kinds of crimes.
I am not sure what will happen with this, but will keep you posted!!! I'd like to know what are your thoughts on this subject?