DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE BEFORE HITTING ACCEPT. In the past week, through postings here and in other forums I have seen posting asking for quotes or availability for accepting assignments from total strangers. They usually come in the form of "I have a private individual/couple/ people needing to sign documents relating to the purchase of their home". I have personally seen three, all with different names, business affiliations, dates, and some even include a quoted fee to sweeten the pot and catch some unaware notary to click the link. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Research the sender, the sender's company. If you have the capability, check the email source (I can right click in both gmail and yahoo to see the real address) to see if it is legitimate. If you have contacts at the company that is supposedly sending the email, it might be worth a call to talk with the proposed sender themselves to validate the email. And consider posting that email here, as well in other forums, to alert notaries something is going on. Even though the players may eventually change, together we can force their hand and make life a little difficult for them. |