When a Notary Public Is Asked To Do the Unthinkable

Last week, I was asked to notarize a form knowing full well that one person’s signature would be forged. I repeated the person’s request back to her thinking that it would be enough for her to realize what she was asking me to do – and would lead her to retract her request. She did but she didn’t. She realized what she was asking me to do but she didn’t retract her request. According to her, she had forged her husband’s signature in the past and she was willing to do it again. Because she is a family friend, I inserted an apology in my refusal to notarize her form.

When a Notary Public stamp on a form loses its integrity, it’s a sad state of affairs. Like most notaries, I take my commission seriously; and I’m not about to put my business and livelihood in jeopardy by being dishonest. Let’s play by the rules we’ve set for ourselves. When those rules stop making sense then we should use the legislative process to make changes.

“Underlying the whole scheme of civilization is the confidence men have in each other, confidence in their integrity, confidence in their honesty, confidence in their future” (Bourke Cockran, The Quotation Page).

For more information about Huntsville Mobile Notary and its services in Northern Alabama, visit the website at www.huntsvillemobilenotary.com.