More than one quarter of Notaries who responded to our safety survey said they’ve felt threatened or at risk during a notarization; fewer than 5 percent called the police.
Overall, 26 percent of our survey participants said they’d been in a hostile or dangerous situation during a notarization.
Of those, the most common threatening situation described was a signer who became angry or belligerent (41 percent).
Among other reasons given:
- Someone requesting an illegal or unethical notarization (27 percent)
- Someone trying to prevent the Notary from leaving (13 percent)
Few of these vulnerable Notaries (only 4 percent) said they contacted police or a friend to ask for help. A single respondent reported that charges were filed as a result of an incident.
Threatening Situations Commonly Faced By Notaries
Respondents described a number of potentially perilous scenarios, including a signer who placed a shotgun on the table, hostile dogs or other pets who growled and threatened the Notary, and also signers who appeared mentally unstable or under the influence of alcohol.
One Notary recalled a situation where a signer, accompanied by relatives who were displaying gang tattoos, asked for an illegal notarization. When the Notary refused, the signer became hostile. Fortunately, the Notary was in a public place (a mailbox store) where a store employee intervened, and contacted police after the signer left.
How did other Notaries deal with their situations?
- 42 percent said they tried to calm the signer
- 26 percent actually left the notarization
- 18 percent said they contacted their company to ask for assistance
One survey participant offered some simple advice for Notary safety: “Make sure someone knows where you are, how long you should be there, and how you want them to proceed if you’re gone too long.
The NNA recommends that Notaries always take precautions to stay safe when traveling to signings.
David Thun is an Associate Editor at the National Notary Association.
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