Posted by Carmen/123 on 11/28/06 12:46am
Msg #162425

Journal Entry Request for California notaries....

Have any of you California notaries experienced this? I received this earlier in an email.

"Is it normal to recieve a request for journal entries to be Audited by the secretary of state? I dont do any funny business, but the signature of the requestor says Senior Investigator..."

I asked the sender of the email for further information...like whether it was one entry of a certain individual or several entries or pages of the journel.


~C

Reply by TitleGalCA on 11/28/06 12:53am
Msg #162429

If the Secretary of State requested a copy of your journal entry, they would have requested it formally. If your request is via an email? Surprises me, but not impossible, I suppose. I would think it would have come in the form of a certified letter. An email from the "Senior Investigator" of the SOS might be bona fide, or not.

I would call the SOS and explain what your email said and get clarity. They will make it clear for you. I wouldn't do a thing, or worry (!) before I spoke with them in person. I'd call them first thing in the morning.

Don't worry! Even if they need a copy of your journal it doesn't mean you should get upset.

Reply by Carmen/123 on 11/28/06 1:12am
Msg #162440

Let me clarify. I never recieved the request for my journel entrys. Another notary sent this question to me via an email requeating my knowledge on the subject. I posted this here to see if anybody else had this happen. I for one have not. I am not sure if the notary received this request via an email or US mail. I would assume it was by mail.

C

Reply by TitleGalCA on 11/28/06 1:16am
Msg #162442

Me neither Carmen.

I would advise her to refer to her handbook or call the SOS. An official request is important, and has to be answered; the req's discuss how much she can charge for line items in her journal.

Hope I answered your question, best of luck to your friend.

Reply by Kate/CA on 11/28/06 11:55am
Msg #162498

I know the chief investigator, I can't imagine him emailing a request, how did they get her/his email address. I would call the notary division of the SOS and ask to speak to him. I'm sure it it is not from him, he would love to know about it.

Reply by Carmen/123 on 11/28/06 2:36pm
Msg #162555

It wan't in an email. It was by certified mail. I spoke with the notary today and it was a legitmate request by the SOS.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 11/28/06 12:57am
Msg #162430

In Oregon, a notary's journal is sacrosanct. I would have a

extreme reservations responding to an email request for an 'audit' in the first place. In the second place, I would call my SOS for direction before releasing any confidential information. An audit would be from the top, would it not? Trust but verify is a good rule of thumb. JMHO

Reply by Jon on 11/28/06 10:19pm
Msg #162642

That is a fairly normal request. I have never been audited, but a friend of mine has been audited twice. As long as you are being straight up, you shouldn't have any problems. Follow the guidelines in the notary handbook for surrendering your journal.