Notary law:
Deterring Fraud. Detering fraud is the Notary’s most important role. Fraud is any deception causing a person to unknowingly surrender money property, tights, or advantages without appropriate compensation. The most common fraud involves the theft of money or property through forgery, whereby a signature is falsified on a document, which then is used to gain unauthorized or unlawful control of another’s money or property.
Through careful identification of document signers, Notaries can detect imposters attempting to execute fraudulent documents that could result in devastating financial losses for innocent persons. The Notary’s detailed and accurate Notary journal record can prove that certain fraudulent alterations were made to a notarized document.
Precaution to completing and attaching Notary certificates actuality can prevent such later alterations. By performing their duties lawfully expertly and with the highest ethical standards, Notaries can detect and deter imposters and exploitations of vulnerable signers who are being tricked or coerced into executing documents against their own interest. They thereby perform their most valuable function—as impartial witnesses serving the public.
Steven Ransom 