Notary Pressures
Scammed by Those You TrustPublished April 23, 2026
Notaries know they should always be alert for possible document-signing scams that a stranger might attempt. But most notaries never imagine that a scammer could be someone they should be able to trust the most.
Sadly, many notaries who simply can’t say no to their family members, spouse, neighbors, friends or employers are victimized by them. These trusted people beg, coax and guilt a notary into breaking notarization rules “just this once.”
Pressuring a notary isn’t always the prelude to a document-related crime. But any bending of notary rules violates the law and can have stern consequences for the notary.
Here are three simple coping strategies to try when someone you know and trust asks you to notarize improperly:
1. Know whether your state notary laws and administrative rules contain any specific requirements concerning notarizations for people who are close to you, and follow those requirements to the letter. Many states prohibit notarizing for a spouse or close family member, or when the officiating notary has an interest in the underlying transaction. Be prepared to point out such laws and/or rules when explaining why you won’t accommodate an improper request.
2. Check your state commissioning office’s notary public webpage for a notary public handbook containing notary law, rules and guidelines. Most of these offices publish such handbooks and links to additional, web-based information sources. Those handbooks do a great job explaining the requirements of notary law in a way that most anyone can understand. Most usually include notary “don’ts.”
3. Make an entry in your recordbook (journal) of notarial acts for each time you decline to notarize for any reason. It’s not necessary to have the customer’s signature in that journal entry, because you didn’t perform a notarial act… the entry is simply to remind you that you declined to notarize, and why.
Line through and initial entry blanks-such as the one customarily used to record the principal’s original signature-that for a declined notarization were obviously unused and unnecessary.
Giving-in to a special person’s request can seem harmless, but the possible punishments for the notary—ranging from disciplinary sanctions up to revocation of the notary’s commission—are serious. Never hesitate to protect yourself by declining all improper notarization requests, even ones from the people you trust the most.
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