Posted by Carole Breckbill on 5/6/08 9:32am
Msg #246417

How do you know?

I've received several emails over the months providing information on a "new" organization, company, or some-such, requesting notaries to sign up. I'm sure many of these are legit, but how can we determine which ones are nothing more than scams a la Notary Bay?

Reply by Kathy/ID on 5/6/08 9:35am
Msg #246418

The best way is to do research. Check how long the website has been around who is the contact person for that website. You can get a name there and ask others on boards if they have had any experiences with them.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 5/6/08 10:47am
Msg #246423

Ask your clients also

1. Where did you find me?
2. Do you use any other data-bases?

Reply by rengel/CA on 5/6/08 11:16am
Msg #246428

I got an email the other day to sign up for a "new" notary association. They say their website won't be finished until August, but go ahead and pay for membership today!
What???? I don't think so. I'm staying with my tried and true which make me $$$
My .02

Reply by ZeeCA on 5/6/08 11:49am
Msg #246431

Rhonda... OMG this made me PMP LOL... ummm just send us

the $$$ and MAYBE we will use it for seed $$$ and get a web page/business up and running?

let me know in an EM what you are up to in june?

Reply by Kate/CA on 5/6/08 4:04pm
Msg #246460

The thing I didn't like about their email

Why ask for money when we can't even see how many are already from our area?

Reply by MistarellaFL on 5/6/08 8:40pm
Msg #246482

rengel/CA

I got that one, too.
I never fell off ANY turnip truck.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 5/7/08 5:11pm
Msg #246577

If you read further on their web site...

it says they won't be accepting any additional sign ups after 7/15, and that the site will be up for 18 months before they switch to another site. My take is that they have no intention of updating their list after 7/15 - it will be the same as if they published it as a paper directory (which is what I think they originally intended to do). Not very useful...

Reply by JanetK_CA on 5/6/08 7:25pm
Msg #246477

You can also try doing searches with various search engines using different word combinations that people might use to locate a notary or signing agent. See what comes up. If you're not seeing their website, the potential hiring entities aren't seeing it either and you're not likely to get any business from it.

BTW, here's another good one for you. I just got an email looking for "experienced" notaries to **PAY** to be on a directory of mentors/trainers of other wannabes (i.e. competition) in their areas, to make some extra money. This presumably would include ridealongs, briefings beforehand and debriefings afterwards, for fees to be negotiated between student and teacher. The logistics alone would be a major headache. I don't think they could pay me enough to make that worth my while, let alone for me to use advertising money to try to get that kind of business. And that's not even getting into the ethical challenges of bringing an outside party into a borrowers' home and exposing their confidential information to someone else! My clients would have a fit!!