How Prevalent is Fraud in the Remote Online Notary Industry

How Safe and Secure Is Remote Online Notarization

At AZ Roving Notary, we take safety and security seriously. CONTINUE TO READ THIS BLOG to see how we manage your account to avoid fraud and tampering.

As Remote Online Notarization (also known as Virtual Notarization) becomes more popular, there is a growing concern about the possibilities of fraudulent notarial sessions.

At AZ Roving Notary, we implement a 6 Step process to reassure our clients that the notary and the sessions are secure and legitimate. Our clients can have confidence in the document being notarized by one of our vetted notaries and that the process is safe.

Step 1: Verify the Commission

All of our notaries are commissioned in the state in which they practice. This can be verified easily by going to the Secretary of State website and typing in the notaries name. This will let the client know that not only is the notary commissioned in that state, but also that credentials are good for remote online notarization. Additionally, any complaints against the notary will show up on this site as well.

Step 2: ID Verification

States require an identification verification process. This usually involves a knowledge based authentication quiz along with a credential analysis and facial recognition. Some states use biometrics to authenticate the client. And, once the client is in the session, the law requires that the client hold up the ID that was used in the verification process for the notary to verify the live person on the video is the same person that used the ID for verification.

Step 3: Secured Video Platform

Some states specifically name the video conferencing platforms that may or may not be used in that state. Other states just state in their law that the video and audio be on a secure platform. All states require that the recording stay on a secure storage platform for a statutory period. The two platforms that AZ Roving Notary uses (Secured Signing and Pactima) both use a closed conference platform (Vonage). For independent notaries, another alternative platform (Signix) integrates Zoom for conferencing seamlessly into its platform. Secured Signing, Pactima and Signix can all store the video conference securely in their history files for the notary.

Step 4: Script

The notaries at AZ Roving Notary all use a script that insures that the client and all signers understand and agree to the following:

The session is being recorded and stored per state laws.
The venue for the session is where the notary is located.
The signers agree to use a digital signature,
The signers understand the documents they are signing
The signers are signing of their own free will.

Step 5: Signatures

The terminology Electronic Signature and Digital Signature are commonly used to mean the same thing. But dig deeper and you’ll find that although both are accepted almost everywhere, it’s the Digital Signature that carries the most security in how it is created using encryption and algorithms. Digital signatures can be verified using any program that has a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat. Digital signatures are accepted in the most secure industries and government agencies. At AZ Roving Notary – all signatures are digital, verifiable and secure.

Step 6: Tamper Proofing

The biggest area for fraud with a document that has been notarized remotely (virtually) is altered after the completed session. Tamper-proofing or locking the document prevents this from happening. At AZ Roving Notary, our remote online notary platforms all use a Federal Bridge X509 certificate to lock the document. When run through a verification program or opened in Adobe, you will be informed that all signatures are valid and that the document has not been subject to tampering. Further, if an attempt is made to alter the document using a PDF editor program, access to the document for changes will not be allowed – only printing.

State Laws are made to protect the client using remote online notarization. At AZ Roving Notary, we train our notaries to understand not only the laws but also the technology so that a safe and secure experience is provided to every client.

Disclosure: The links to Secured Signing, Pactima and Signix are referral links. I earn a small commission which I use to fund educational programs for notaries. You will never play more with the link I provide and in some cases you may pay less than the general public.

For more information on how to engage the services of AZ Roving Notary for Remote Online Notarizations regardless of where in the world you are located, Click the Button Below.

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