CT Notary Identification and Verification 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A woman presents an ID in her maiden name but is signing a deed in her married name. What is the CT notary's best course of action?
- Notarize since the first name matches
- Decline unless identity under the name being signed can be established by satisfactory evidence (Correct answer)
- Cross out the married name on the deed and write the maiden name
- Have her sign both names and pick one later
Correct answer: Decline unless identity under the name being signed can be established by satisfactory evidence
The notary must be able to identify the signer under the name being used on the document, or the notarization should be refused.
Question 2: Which situation involves the highest risk of identity fraud that a notary's verification duty is designed to prevent?
- A signer acknowledging a document he wrote himself
- An impostor executing a deed transferring someone else's real property (Correct answer)
- A signer asking for two copies of a certificate
- A document written in a foreign language
Correct answer: An impostor executing a deed transferring someone else's real property
Impostors forging property transfers are a classic fraud that careful identity verification by notaries is meant to stop.
Question 3: A signer offers only a birth certificate as identification. Why is this generally insufficient on its own?
- Birth certificates expire after ten years
- It contains no photograph or signature to link the document to the person presenting it (Correct answer)
- Birth certificates are not legal documents
- Only passports may ever be used in Connecticut
Correct answer: It contains no photograph or signature to link the document to the person presenting it
A birth certificate cannot be matched to the bearer because it lacks a photo, signature, or physical description.
Question 4: During a notarization, the notary suspects the presented passport is counterfeit. What should the notary do?
- Notarize but keep a photocopy of the passport
- Refuse the notarization because satisfactory evidence of identity is lacking (Correct answer)
- Notarize and report the passport afterward
- Accept it if the signer swears it is genuine
Correct answer: Refuse the notarization because satisfactory evidence of identity is lacking
A document the notary reasonably believes is fake cannot serve as satisfactory evidence, so the notarization must be refused.
Question 5: Two brothers who are identical twins appear, and one asks to sign for the other 'since we look the same.' The notary should:
- Allow it because the ID photo matches either twin
- Refuse, because the person signing must be the actual named signer whose identity is verified (Correct answer)
- Allow it if both twins consent in writing
- Allow it if the absent twin confirms by phone
Correct answer: Refuse, because the person signing must be the actual named signer whose identity is verified
Only the actual named individual may sign, regardless of resemblance, so substituting a lookalike is impermissible.
Question 6: What is the primary reason a notary should check whether an ID appears altered, such as mismatched fonts or a lifted laminate?
- Altered IDs may indicate the bearer is attempting identity fraud (Correct answer)
- Altered IDs must be confiscated and mailed to the DMV
- The notary earns a higher fee for detecting forgeries
- Font analysis is required in the notarial certificate
Correct answer: Altered IDs may indicate the bearer is attempting identity fraud
Signs of tampering suggest the ID is fraudulent and cannot be relied upon as evidence of identity.
Question 7: A signer the notary personally knows brings a friend the notary has never met, and both need documents notarized. How should the friend be identified?
- Through the personally known signer acting as a credible witness under oath, or through identification documents (Correct answer)
- No identification is needed since he arrived with a known person
- Only by a Connecticut driver's license, nothing else
- The friend cannot be notarized for at least 30 days
Correct answer: Through the personally known signer acting as a credible witness under oath, or through identification documents
The unknown friend may be identified by ID documents or by the personally known companion serving as a sworn credible witness who knows the friend.
CT Notary Identification and Verification 3
A woman presents an ID in her maiden name but is signing a deed in her married name.
What is the CT notary's best course of action?