Answer to Quiz
What does a notary public do?
A notary public is an agent of the government who attests to the authenticity of signatures. A notary is bound by law not to notarize a signature if the signatory does not appear before him/her and show proof that he/she is, in fact, the person whom s/he is claiming to be.
A notary’s seal does not make a document legal, true, or accurate. It only indicates that the person who has signed the document appeared in person before the notary, proved his/her identity to the satisfaction of the notary, and signed the document in a state of free will . If the wording of the notarial comments states “signed and sworn before me,” then it means that the notary asked the person to swear that the information in the document was true and correct, and then the notary watched the person sign the document.
A notary who notarizes a document when the signatory has not appeared in person, or who notarizes a document without establishing the identity of the signer, may be guilty of fraud, and, in this case, it’s a felony offense.
For more information, or for comprehensive notary training, check out the Notary Law Institute.