Oklahoma Looks to Prevent Deed Fraud

We’ve talked extensively about deed fraud and a notary or fake notary’s role in it. (or non involvement in a case like forgery and forged stamps)

Well, Oklahoma has just passed a bill aimed at reducing or eliminating the possibility of deed fraud in the state. The bill, SB 1028, is set to go into action on January 1st, 2026.

This has some disappointed it is taking so long, as deed fraud has expanded across the state. But, the Oklahoma State’s Clerks Office wants to pull it off with as few hitches as possible. They cite a smooth transition for both individuals and businesses.

What Does a Notary Have to Do?

There is always something the notary is responsible for, am a right?

First, let’s start with the basics. The fee to get a commission or renew one will change from $20 and $15 to $50 (new notary) and $45 (renewal). The bond to become a new or renewed notary moves from $1,000 to $10,000. Most would use an insurance agent for this, but there are other edge methods we won’t go into, as they are part of current law. Upon filing of the bond, there will be a $25 fee, which is up from the $10 previous fee.

Beyond that, the new bill requires notaries to go through a background check and partake in fingerprinting. This will be administered through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

It sounds good in theory, but since there are so many forgeries, who knows how well it will perform in practice.

Can I Help Protect a Signer?

In short, yes.

You can give them a link to the Property Alert Service. There you can register to receive updates if there is a transaction involving your home. You can also give them a phone number to call, 405-713-1865, where they can receive more information.

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In the News, Notary News and Advice

Desantis Surprises, Approves Notary Bill

June 2025

The bill is designed to protect immigrants from fraud. The Florida legislature brought up a bill earlier this year.

They ended up enacting HB 915. Here is a summary of the bill.

Advertisements for Representation Services: Prohibits notaries public from using specified terms to describe themselves; creates civil cause of action for declaratory or injunctive relief & to recover damages & attorney fees & costs; requires certain businesses or persons offering immigration services to make specified disclosure; creates civil cause of action for declaratory or injunctive relief & to recover damages & attorney fees & costs.

Notarios

The bill centers around notarios. They tend to rope in people offering legal services not approved.

Desantis Surprises, Approves Notary Bill

This is mainly because in many of the immigrants countries, notaries are allowed to give legal advice on certain issue.

They cannot do so in the United States.

Many get people in the door with the promise of legal recognition, charge big prices for it, and not being able to back it up. It is a scam that has been going on for decades without any legal recourse.

The bill requires notaries from using a set of terms they can no longer use.

A notary public who is not authorized to represent a
person in an immigration matter may not, when advertising his or
her notary public services, use the term notario público,
notario, immigration assistant, immigration consultant,
immigration specialist, or any other designation or title, in
any language, which conveys or implies that he or she possesses
professional legal skills in immigration law.

Civil Charges

A part of the bill deals with civil charges. Allowing someone to see redress when they’ve been mislead or ripped off. It now allows the affected to bring civil charges and recoup their money.

It proved injunctive relief on services and signings. The affected may also sue for damages, and any other costs involved, including attorney.

Other Details

The bill takes effect on July 1st, 2025.

The bill includes employer responsibility.

The notice that must be posted, in English, is the following:

The notice shall be of a conspicuous in
size, if in writing, and shall state: “I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY
LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND I MAY NOT
GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE.”

Use of Notary Public, in any language but English is prohibited for advertisements.

That about sums things up. While it was a surprising Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill, it is a great step forward in the battle against notarios.

They make a mocker of the entire business, so it is nice to see the action against them.

They Asked for It, They Got It

June 2025

We’ve been covering a Nebraska court case about the medical marijuana initiative. Originally the case was dismissed, but then we found out it is back on. Processes can sometimes be slow, but this one is moving along quickly.

The notary asked for a quick and speedy trial, and the state complied. The trial date is set for September 15th with a pre-trial hearing on the fourth.

The final tally for charges against the notary is twenty four. They are accused of notarizing signatures outside the purview of a petition circulator.

The notary asked for a jury trial when requesting a quick and speedy trial. We don’t know if that is supreme confidence they will win, or just wanting to rip the band-aid off quickly.

This has caused charges, dismissal of said charges, and overturning of the dismissal by a senior court. It is filled with bad drama.

It looks like we’ll be back in September to hopefully finish our coverage of this event.

The Philly Fiasco Keeps Rolling

In a scam going back to 2017, the state of Pennsylvania has finally charged the notary at the center of the story, though more than one notary was alleged to be part of some of the transactions.

We have kept our eye on this story, following it with baited breath. The alleged actions of the notary are unconscionable and led to the loss of more than 20 loans in a scam that lasted almost a decade.

To catch up, please check out our previous stories about the Philly Fiasco. We already have three of them to get caught up on the situation. Here is our original reporting on the Philly Fiasco. Here is a follow up to the fiasco, including the state’s remedy to the issue moving forward. Finally, an aspect of the Philly Fiasco went worldwide.

The city came up with a solution called Fraud Guard. It’s website can be found here. It allows both homeowners and notaries to receive email follow ups to any change in status or signing. This allows a back up system for home owners and notaries to stay safe.

The only downside is you must sign up for this service (we understand why). How can they contact you if you don’t give your information? But, it still leaves some wiggle room for those not aware of, or signed up to Fraud Guard.

The biggest change since we last touched this subject is that the notary is not alleged to just being duped or mildly involved. They have now been identified as the ringleader, in a scam that lost owners more than twenty homes.

In 2018, staff at the city’s Department of Records noticed anomalies in deeds connected to [the notary]. In many instances, [the notary] had backdated notarized documents making it appear as though the homeowners had approved the transaction of their properties before they died, prosecutors said. Investigators also found patterns among [the notary’s] documents, such as using fraudulent stamps to indicate [they] had witnessed signatures, and some properties allegedly had been priced below market value to avoid higher tax bills.

Philly Voice

“A notary public is supposed to be someone whose very job is to act as a gatekeeper – to prevent fraud in these cases,” Assistant DA Kimberly Esack said.

This saga has gone on for years. It took a long time to put together charges the state thinks will stick. They even have a list, and map, of the specific properties the notary is being charged with. For brevity, and to stop you from taking a nap, we will not list them all. Additionally, prosecutors said they are not done, and additional deeds are under scrutiny.

The notary has been charged with a litany of charges, totaling 31. These include conspiracy, theft by deception, identity theft, among others. They are also still chasing co-conspirators, who have yet to be identified.

While some home owners have been able to recoup their homes, others are still pending in civil court. Can you imagine being ousted for your homes and then having to take years to get it back? We mean, how long does it take to figure this out, and to dole out justice. Most importantly, getting home owners back into their homes.

As always, we’ll keep you updated as this very slow process moves along.