AI and the Mobile Notary – Part Two

In our previous post we talked about artificial intelligence and the benefits it can provide to a notary. But, something great can also be a double edged sword. In this article we will take a brief look at the downsides of AI when it comes to notaries.

Unfortunately, such an easy tool that benefit notaries can also be used by those with bad intentions. And if we are not ready for those, they can come back and bite us in the rear.

Images for Identity

An emerging type of fraud comes with the identity of the signer.

Artificial intelligence goes beyond text, it can be used for images as well.

Enter the fake forms of identification. AI can be used to create fake passports with astounding accuracy, which is also spilling into other forms of identity. On a remote signing, AI can even make a signer sound like the actual individual.

There are a few instances of this popping up, but fortunately it is not widespread, at least yet.

We have talked a lot about people using fake identities to steal houses and other high value items. And this was before artificial intelligence made it easier.

The fact is, even the best notaries can be fooled, which makes following best practices a must.

How Do I Identify a Fraudulent Signer?

That is the $64,000 question.

With the accuracy of fake ID’s, passports leading the way, it will get harder and harder to distinguish an actual signer from a real one. So following best practices is a must. Instead of giving a signer’s ID a once over, give it a twice over. Make sure the live signature matches the one on their ID. It is much more difficult to sign a document correctly, and most states have the signature on the ID.

And to further protect yourself, make sure your logs are completed and all the I’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. Anything that may cause problems, make sure they do not. Do not let yourself get dragged into anything that may be sketchy.

Software

Will facial recognition help notaries stop fraud?

Emerging software is trying to address this problem. Beyond security questions they are also implementing facial recognition to confirm the signer. But, that is difficult.

The fact is that security questions have been broken for a long time by saavy hackers. The type of people who may try to do a fraudulent signing.

Beyond that, these operations are not usually one person, but a collective of people looking to crack the code. With the amount of money potentially involved, multiple people are easily involved.

Another aspect is facial recognition. But, again, if I have my own photo on a passport, and I am at the signing, that is a difficult problem to overcome.

We expect better tools to hit the market, but exactly when a potentially foolproof system is found is not known. And if we’ve learned anything from previous signings, there may never be a foolproof system.

Protect Yourself

Again, make sure you do everything right. Double check things when needed. Understand potential signers may be hackers and take a little more time when needed. Make sure your logs are pristine.

The fact is that this emerging threat is a tough one to overcome. So doing everything in your power to make sure you are protected at every single signing.

Development, Notary News and Advice

AI and the Mobile Notary

The rise of AI/Artificial Intelligence technology brings its own upsides and downsides for notaries.

In this article we are going to focus on the upsides, whereas we’ll be focusing on the downsides shortly.

Automation

The biggest bonus is in the area of automation. It’s an easy concept to almost understand, but real world applications may be more difficult to think of.

One of the easiest is to set schedules for yourself. For example, you might to promote yourself through social media, but what are the best times to post for maximum effect. Just head on over to ChatGPT or a competitor to find a desirable result.

Just ask it about what times are best for each network. Then ask it to make a schedule for when and what you should post to receive maximum results. But, how do I do that?

Prompts

AI generated results can streamline your business.

One thing we run across is people looking for the right prompts. A prompt is a set of words used to input into the artificial intelligence system. While they seem complex, in reality they are quite simple to use.

AI is there to answer questions, have a conversation and even to dive deeper into the knowledge of the web.

A prompt is simply a question you ask your AI program. They can be done conversationally. They don’t rely on keywords like search engines, but providing specific answers to questions.

For example, on a search engine, one might type in “best time to post on Facebook.” A prompt may look like “I run a small notary business. What times do you think are best to post there, and what type of content should I post?”

Remember, you are having a conversation.

Your AI program should then give you a succinct answer to your question. It is highly concise and accurate (in most cases), giving you the information you need to in seconds. This varies from the search engine, as it is quicker. You don’t have to spend too much time looking for germane results.

Now let’s take this to the next level.

I don’t want just an overview of what to post, but I want a more specific schedule I can refer to that tells me what to post and when. Even the type of post, be it a serious sell, or a more jovial subject like a meme or joke (just make sure people know it is a joke, lol).

So I open up ChatGPT and ask it about what I should post for a given social media site. Then I ask it to create a schedule I can follow to achieve the most results. Remember, we are not just looking for keywords here, just ask them a question just like you would ask a friend. Before you know it, you have created a highly effective schedule for your social media.

What About My Content

Your content should focus on answering specific questions, not just keywords. In fact, keywords, as in an a search engine optimization strategy, are not how AI works. If you see from this article we are focusing on answering questions, not just keywords.

Just answer questions you might types into the AI program. It really is that simple. I might even go to an AI program and ask it what are the most common prompts used for mobile notaries. The AI program will give you answers to that question, too.

Other Uses of AI

Sometimes what you write is a masterpiece, other times it may need some help. So why not use AI for an email? Just put in your email text and ask it to make it more concise, or readable, more professional or whatever you think you need. You might even be able to do this simply on your phone.

How about your text on your experience? A virtual resume so to speak. AI can do that, too. It may focus on areas you never thought about, or make a skill or experience more prominent.

The key here is the sky is the limit. You can use AI to boost yourself and your business. And you should look into doing so.

Notary Seals Stolen in Seattle

In a not so good development, a Seattle based mailing service had theft occur against them. Among the items were notary seals.

Lake Union Mail saw mail, credit cards and notary seals stolen. Stealing mail is a federal offense, making the break in a high stakes endeavor.

Notary Seals

But, let’s focus on the notary seals. Replacements can be offered, but that does not put the seals completely out of the woods.

Video footage shows two offenders breaking in with a crowbar and grabbing whatever they can. Since the store has packages everywhere, they seemed to grab the easiest of the pickings.

The question that has not been answered so far is if the notary seals were for employees or if other notaries were affected. If other notaries were affected, it could cause more problems.

Why?

If we don’t know whose seals were stolen, how are they to be tracked down? Of course, individual notaries who have not received their expected seal should contact the proper authorities in the state to report the suspected incident.

What About the Meantime?

Of course, the signings of the affected notaries will have to be audited. Will they be used in future endeavors of the thieves, or maybe they sell them off to someone who can better use them. The more we don’t know who is involved, the more complicated the problem may be.

Then there is the issue of backdating documents. If you remember, in the housing crisis of 2007, many backdated documents became the center of attention.

Are we too Weary?

The fact of the matter, with such little information, it is tough to report on.

Are we being over reactive? Maybe.

But, we want to make sure notaries understand the possibilities here. May some of them not apply? We don’t know. But, if we don’t give you the whole picture, then we might be missing a crucial piece of information.

And the sour part is if it happened to them, it could happen to you in the future.

Here is to hoping the suspects are caught and convicted.

San Francisco Court Issues Verdict Against Notario

The state of California, in this case San Francisco, received another court ruling in favor of the state dealing with notarios. After suing a notario for a third time, they’ve won a ruling for over $600,000.

The notario offered legal services to immigrants, in some cases fleecing them for thousands of dollars, the court found.

Legal Advice

These cases stretch all the way back to 2017, when the notary was ordered to stop offering legal advice, as they were not licensed to do so. Blatantly, the notary ignored that, and continued their actions.

This process was again re-iterated in 2022.

It appears the notary should have given themselves some legal advice.

We won’t delve into the history of the cases brought against the notary, as we covered that earlier.

What is a Notario?

A notario is a notary, plain and simple.

What differs is they offer services that are illegal. In this case, we are talking legal advice, which is aimed at immigrants who do not know better. See, in many countries notaries have different duties, one of which is they can offer legal advice in certain situations.

Who we call Notarios in the United States take advantage of that fact, and provide services not legal in the United States. They prey on people new to the country who do not know better. They often take all of their income or savings (or both), all for a service that will not help the immigrants.

Notarios give notaries a bad name and are shunned in the industry.

Back to the Case

San Francisco Court Issues Verdict Against Notario

Over $600,000 has been declared in civil penalties and legal costs, a huge sum for the average notary. The are also barred from offering immigration services for the next five years.

The notary has kept their mouth shut since the verdict.

City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement that Lacayo flouted past rulings, showing “zero regard for the law.”

San Francisco Chronicle

Nonprofit ‘La Raza Centro Legal’ said they have multiple clients who have been victims of [the notary]. Some people paid him thousands of dollars and are now at risk of deportation.

“[The notary] is a fraud. [They have] been operating I believe since before 2017, but we have been seeing that he has really being causing irreparable harm in the community to missed deadlines, to deportation or removal orders,” said April Calvo-Perez, attorney at La Raza Centro Legal.

ABC 7 News

The notary’s defense is that they have never provided illegal services and that they would be in jail if they did so.

The notary denied offering legal services for immigration. They said they mainly do taxes and that they do not file any immigration paperwork since the original injunction in 2017.

The court did not agree with the argument.

“I don’t have a penny to my name. I don’t have money. If I were swindling and defrauding people, I would have millions of dollars. I don’t have them because I don’t charge anything because I don’t do anything,” said the notary.

Notarios put a bad name to all notaries, and we are sure almost all of you are happy with the conclusion.