HI Notary Ethical Dilemmas and Decision Making

Question 1

If a notary is asked to notarize a document but suspects the signer is under duress, what should the notary do?

Accepted Answer

Refuse to notarize the document and inform the signer of your concerns

Answer

Proceed with the notarization if the signer appears to be compliant

Answer

Complete the notarization and report your concerns to the authorities later

Answer

Ask the signer to sign the document in a different location to confirm their freedom

Question 2

What should a notary do if they realize they have a personal relationship with one of the parties involved in a notarization?

Accepted Answer

Refuse to notarize the document to avoid any appearance of bias

Answer

Proceed with the notarization as usual

Answer

Disclose the relationship to all parties and proceed if no objections are raised

Answer

Have a colleague notarize the document instead

Question 3

A notary discovers that a document they notarized contains incorrect information. What is the appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

Notify the signer and advise them to have the document corrected

Answer

Correct the information in the document and notarize it again

Answer

Ignore the mistake if the document was signed and notarized in good faith

Answer

Contact the document's issuer and request a revised version

Question 4

What should a notary do if they are asked to notarize a document that appears to be incomplete?

Accepted Answer

Refuse to notarize the document until it is completed

Answer

Proceed with the notarization as long as the signature is present

Answer

Complete the missing parts and then notarize the document

Answer

Notarize the document with a note about its incomplete status

Question 5

How should a notary handle a situation where a signer is unable to sign due to a disability, but someone else signs on their behalf?

Accepted Answer

Have the person signing on behalf of the signer provide proof of their authority to do so

Answer

Notarize the document as if the signer had signed it themselves

Answer

Witness the signature of the person signing on behalf of the signer and notate it in the journal

Answer

Refuse to notarize the document unless the signer can physically sign it